The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and its Labor Commissioner’s Office recently launched an online system for reporting labor law violations. The new system simplifies the process for reporting wage theft and other labor law violations, and enables the Labor Commissioner’s Office to receive real-time leads on businesses that are breaking labor laws. DIR is ...
An administrative law judge has ordered Gonzalo Fernandez, who operates Fernandez Farms Inc. in Watsonville, to repay kickbacks and rent he collected from more than 400 H-2A workers. According to the decision, Fernandez requested payments of more than $1,600 apiece from several hundred foreign workers over the 2010 and 2011 seasons as reimbursement for transportation ...
An astute op-ed on the California water supply crisis authored by WG member Cannon Michael, president of Bowles Farming (Los Banos), was published today in the congressional newspaper, The Hill. Michael took the federal government to task for its inability to manage water resources in the state saying that despite visits by President Obama, several ...
Please plan on joining Western Growers for one of our AB 1513 Safe Harbor town hall discussions on complying with the technical and logistical details of the new piece-rate law. Learn from legal practitioners and fellow employers in this interactive discussion. We will make registration information and other details available once finalized. Coastal…
Last week, AB 1066 passed the California Assembly. The bill is now awaiting action by Governor Jerry Brown. Western Growers and other industry and business community partners have been urging Gov. Brown to veto the legislation and have created a website that allows farmers to easily share data on the potential impacts of the bill ...
Last week, the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) announced it received a grant from the Arizona Iceburg Lettuce Research Council (AILRC) for the collection, production, and dissemination of lettuce disease research results. Disease control and management was cited as the highest priority area of research focus by the industry according to a ...
The Farm Foundation Forum held a panel discussion today to address food and agriculture issues likely to be faced by the next administration. Ken Barbic, senior director of federal government affairs, participated in the event and focused on labor issues. In his remarks, Barbic outlined the need for immigration reform and the industry’s policy priorities, ...
Last week, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced the first Basin Boundary Modification request period is now closed and that the final 2016 modifications will be published online in late September. The boundaries of California’s basins are identified in Bulletin 118, unless other basin boundaries are established through Basin Boundary Modification Requests. Basin ...
AB 1513 introduced new wage and hour requirements for piece-rate workers, fundamentally changing labor costs for many agricultural employers, and leaving some vulnerable to liability for back pay and penalties. During this transition, the new law offers a conditional “affirmative defense” to claims for damages or statutory penalties based on an employer’s alleged failure to ...
In order to help schools create or strengthen farm to school programs, USDA announced that up to $5 million will be available this school year. The grants will help further USDA efforts to increase locally sourced foods in America’s school meals. The USDA’s release cites the 2015 USDA Farm to School Census, saying that schools with ...
Western Growers wishes to extend its condolences to the family and friends of David Martella, a Western Growers’ member who passed away on September 13, 2016. David was owner of the Salinas-based Martella Farming Company and was an independent grower for Tanimiura & Antle and a consultant for Ippolito International. He attended California State University, ...
A new AB 1513 Safe Harbor Town Hall in the Imperial Valley has been added to the series of town halls previously announced last week. The town hall will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 2016, at 9:00 A.M. at the Farm Credit Ag Center, 485 Business Pkwy, Imperial, CA 92251. As with the other ...
Starting on September 30, 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will begin groundwater and geologic testing using a low-flying helicopter to collect and record geophysical measurements for scientific research purposes. The work will occur near the towns of Lost Hills, Buttonwillow and Cawelo in the southern San Joaquin Valley. The testing is being done in ...
AB 1513 introduced new wage and hour requirements for piece-rate workers, fundamentally changing labor costs for many agricultural employers, and leaving some vulnerable to liability for back pay and penalties. During this transition, the new law offers a conditional “affirmative defense” to claims for damages or statutory penalties based on an employer’s alleged failure to ...
Statement of Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif on Gov. Jerry Brown signing AB 1066 into law: “The Governor has set in motion a chain of events that will cause workers in our fields to lose wages. It is one thing to dismiss the rationale for a seasonal industry to have a 10-hour overtime ...
The Western Growers Board of Directors has unanimously endorsed Senator John McCain. Tom Nassif, President and CEO of Western Growers, issued the following statement: “In a recent column, I wrote, ‘We need fewer politicians and more statesmen.’ John McCain is among the statesmen we need now more than ever. Throughout his career, Senator McCain has ...
The Western Growers Board of Directors has unanimously voted to oppose Proposition 55 on the 2016 California ballot. Tom Nassif, President and CEO of Western Growers, issued the following statement: “Proposition 30, passed by California voters four years ago, was intended as a temporary measure to stabilize funding for essential state services impacted during the ...
This is an update to the August 23, 2016 Spotlight article announcing that China added the United States to the list of countries that are required to perform anti-mosquito treatments for produce imports. On September 2, 2016, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) regionalized its Zika requirements for shipments of cargo ...
After Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1066 (Gonzalez) into law today, Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif released the following statement: “The Governor has set in motion a chain of events that will cause workers in our fields to lose wages. It is one thing to dismiss the rationale for a seasonal industry to ...
As previously reported in Spotlight, the Interstate-8 westbound off-ramp at 4th Ave/Winterhaven is closed until at least December due to a CalTrans road construction project. Cal Trans recently provided a detour notice and alternate route map for the farm traffic restriction on I-8 westbound traveling from Yuma to Bard, and the closure of the Winterhaven/4th ...