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In Memoriam: Lewis Janowsky
Western Growers extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of former Western Growers employee, Lewis P. Janowsky. Janowsky passed away on Saturday, June 13, 2015, at his home in Santa Ana, California, surrounded by his family and close friends, of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 64 years old. Lew spent six years ...
H-2A Visa Processing “Glitch” Update
Over 10 days following its initial announcement that a hardware failure halted the processing of over 3000 H-2A visas nationwide, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to work on a fix to the biometric data transmission system used to process security checks. There has been no official word from the U.S. State Department or ...
Some H-2A Workers Still Stuck at the Border
Yesterday, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif appeared on Bloomberg Television to urge immediate remedies related to a computer hardware “glitch” that has prevented the processing of thousands of U.S. visas around the world since June 9. The glitch affected applications for H-2A agricultural workers needed in, California, Arizona, Washington and other parts of the ...
Water. Rest. Shade.
Weather forecasts this week show temperatures in California’s Central Valley are expected to reach the mid 90’s while the mercury will be pushing 110 degrees in the Imperial Valley and in western Arizona. Western Growers would like to remind members to adhere to your state’s specific regulations regarding heat illness prevention (HIP), particularly in California ...
Psyllid Quarantine Extends into Alameda County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) issued a press release yesterday announcing the expansion of Asian citrus psyllid quarantine areas. Excerpts from the release are as follows: “Following the detection of an Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) within the City of San Jose, the existing quarantine has been expanded to include an additional ...
Don’t let the politicians fool you, TPP is good for the San Joaquin Valley
By Harold McClarty President of HMC Farms How did we get here? Support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) seems to have evaporated into thin air, especially among Republicans who traditionally support such agreements. Donald Trump, the party’s standard-bearer, has chosen to align himself with the economic nationalism wing of the GOP. For her part, Hillary Clinton ...
“Joint Employer” Decision – Major Victory for H-2A Employers
On October 15, 2021, the U.S. District Court for Los Angeles, issued a substantial (79-page decision) case brought by the CRLA Foundation against two Santa Maria based Growers and Marketer Defendants who sold their strawberry products on a non-exclusive basis. By way of historical background, the CRLA Foundation filed a class action civil lawsuit against ...
California’s Mandatory Employment Arbitration Ban Headed for the Full 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
On December 30, 2019 an Eastern District of California federal court granted a temporary restraining order preventing the state of California from enforcing AB51. The lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the California Chamber of Commerce sought an injunction stopping enforcement of AB 51; a bill that would have outlawed employment arbitration ...
Another Decrease in CA Workers’ Compensation Rates Issued
On Wednesday, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a decision to once again reduce California workers’ compensation pure premium advisory rates effective September 1, 2021. Rejecting a proposed average rate increase of 2.7%, Commissioner Lara approved an average 3.4% reduction in advisory pure premium workers’ compensation rates across all classification codes. Advisory pure…
The President’s National Emergency
Remember the timeframe extensions that were announced early in the pandemic? They are still in effect and—importantly—they were just extended. Here is what happened: As you will recall, in May 2020, the Departments of Labor and Treasury issued the “Joint Notification of Extensions of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries Affected by the…
Western Growers Mourns the Passing of Bob Sakata
Bob Sakata, a stalwart of the agricultural community, passed away on June 7, 2022 at the age of 96. Robert (Bob) Yoshiharu Sakata was born on April 15, 1926, in San Jose, California to Aki Nishimura and Mantaro Sakata. His mother died of pneumonia leaving his father to raise 5-year-old Bob and 3 older siblings. Bob’s ...
Ninth Circuit Withdraws Prior Opinion Regarding California’s AB 51 and Grants Panel Rehearing
Since 2021, the challenge to California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 51 (on employment arbitration) has been in limbo awaiting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s decision on a petition to rehear the appeal en banc. On August 22, 2022, instead of granting or denying the petition for rehearing en banc, the Ninth Circuit made a surprise decision to ...
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Rehearing in Viking River Cruises
On August 22, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the plaintiff-employee’s petition to reconsider the decision in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana case. The high court also issued a final judgment, leaving intact the Court’s ruling on statutory standing under PAGA. While the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion is now final, the California Supreme Court ...
Congress Introduces Trade Promotion Legislation; Western Growers Urges Swift Action
IRVINE, Calif. (April 6, 2015) — Today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) introduced bipartisan, bicameral Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. This agreement is a critical first step to concluding trade negotiations and further expanding export opportunities. In response to…
Sakata Releases New Varieties for 2015
Following is a list of new varieties available from Sakata Seed in 2015. Melon Infinite Gold LSL melon has been bred for strong performance and long shelf life, without sacrificing great flavor and fruit quality. In fact, a third-party sensory analysis panel rated Infinite Gold higher in flavor and quality attributes than the ...
Ready-Set-REPORT!
What’s ahead for you in 2015 to be (or remain) compliant with the Affordable Care Act? The answer depends on a number of factors including whether your company is an applicable large employer and the number of employees you have. Does the following sound like a recipe for a headache? Changing your benefits strategy, having ...
Nassif Responds To L.A. Times Column
(Editor’s Note: Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif’s “Letter to the Editor” disputing a column by George Skelton about the use of water to produce almonds, was published by that paper in its Dec. 16 edition.) To the editor: Skelton thinks California shouldn’t produce almonds for export because they require lots of water. ...
A Blast from the Past: Safeway is Taking Lead Role In Switch to 48 by 40 Pallet
(Editor’s Note: This story begins a WG&S series that looks at some of the stories the magazine has covered in its 85 year history. Reprinted from the March 1985 issue of WG&S.) Although they haven’t issued an ultimatum and they dislike the word pressure, Safeway officials are pushing some segments of the produce industry ...
A Blast from the Past: Anything But Conventional (From July 1998)
By A.G. Kawamura (This column was written by Western Growers board member A.G. Kawamura for the July 1998 issue of WG&S. This was before he was WG Chairman of the Board or the Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture. Then and now, he is largely a strawberry grower in the firm his family ...
Nutrition and Cancer Risk: Guidance from the Experts
We all know Western Growers members grow the best medicine in the world. Embarking on the second year of our partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS), Western Growers is spreading the word that a nutritious diet, including the healthful choices such as the fruits, vegetables and nuts our members grow, pack and ship, along ...