Posts By: Jeff Janas
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President Trump Issues Executive Orders on Immigration
In his first week in office, President Trump signed a flurry of immigration-related executive orders. The “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements” executive order primarily concerns the building of a wall along the U.S. Mexico border. Republican congressional leaders have said they will move forward with plans to approve funds for the wall, which they…
Western Growers Mourns Loss of Ag Icon Tom Russell
Pacific International Marketing president, Tom Russell, passed away on Tuesday, January 31, in Phoenix. Russell was a member of Western Growers since 1990. At the time of his death, he was involved in about 40 business partnerships, including several with Western Growers’ directors and members. Russell combined his financial and sales talents to become one ...
CDFA Accepting 2017 SWEEP Applications
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced it is accepting applications for State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) grants as of February 1, 2017. According to a CDFA press release, competitive grant funding totaling approximately $3.75 million will be made available “to provide financial assistance to implement irrigation systems that reduce greenhouse…
WG Files Amicus Brief in Gerawan Farming Decertification Case
Western Growers and industry partners have filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in the case of Gerawan Farming, Inc. v. California Agricultural Labor Relations Board and United Farm Workers, now pending before the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District. The case challenges an ALRB ruling which upheld an administrative law judge’s ...
Valadao Urges Trump to ‘Repair Broken Immigration System’
On Tuesday, Congressman David Valadao (R-Hanford) issued a letter to President Trump urging the president to work with him and other key members of Congress to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. The son of Portuguese immigrants who represents a large agricultural district, Valadao is personally connected to the issue. An excerpt from his letter ...
Members Should Prepare for Increased ICE Audits & Raids
As previously reported in Spotlight, President Trump issued a number of immigration related executive orders (EO), including the “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” EO which focuses on interior immigration enforcement. Members should begin preparing for increased worksite enforcement and renewed emphasis on Form I-9 audits. This means that employers should ...
Ag Industry Letter Urges Governor to Consult with Industry on ALRB Appointments
Western Growers and industry partners have sent a letter to Governor Jerry Brown expressing dismay with the process for appointing Isadore Hall to the Agricultural Labor Relations Board as well as conflicts of interest demonstrated by Member Hall, a staunch UFW supporter. The letter notes that “the ALRB has been, and continues to be, aligned ...
Have You Posted Your OSHA 300A Summary?
Most employers are required to complete OSHA’s Form 300A and post the “Summary” page from February 1 to April 30 of the year following the year covered by the “Summary.” It must be displayed in a conspicuous location where notices to employees are customarily posted. A copy of the “Summary” must also be made available ...
Know Your Rights: “Day without Immigrants” Walkout Activities Begin TODAY
Immigrant rights groups have leveraged social media to organize employee walkouts and protests across the country today, Thursday, February 16. The planned “Day without Immigrants” is intended to protest the Trump administration’s executive orders with respect to immigration and underscore the importance of migrants to the country’s economy and social structure. It is unclear to…
AZ Ag Department to Hold Listening Sessions on Reducing Regulatory Impacts on Businesses
The Arizona Department of Agriculture is inviting stakeholders to participate in a series of listening sessions that are “part of the governor’s mission to reduce regulatory burden and promote customer-service-orientated principles” for the agriculture industry and the general public. The Department will not be discussing proposed language changes for the rules, but instead is seeking…
Western Growers Co-hosts 2017 Arizona Ag Day at the Capitol
Along with a group of other agriculture and horticulture organizations, Western Growers co-hosted a luncheon for Arizona legislators on the grounds of the state Capitol earlier today. A bi-partisan group of fifty-six legislators, members of their staffs and other public officials came out to the annual ‘Ag Day at the Capitol’ to socialize with members ...
March 29 Webinar — Preparing Employers for Possible ICE Audits and Raids
There is plenty of uncertainty in Washington D.C. and across the country about how the Trump Administration will move forward on immigration and enforcement issues following the issuance of several Executive Orders and memoranda by the Department of Homeland Security. Some of the orders and memoranda suggest enforcement efforts may be bolstered in non-border areas. ...
WG Hosts Annual Ag Tour of Legislative Interns at Rousseau Farms
Last Friday, Western Growers teamed with partner Arizona agriculture organizations to host an agricultural tour for a bi-partisan group of legislative interns from the Arizona House and Senate. The tour, which took place at facilities west of downtown Phoenix, is an annual event designed to educate up-and-coming young professionals on the importance of agriculture in ...
APHIS Issues Second Stay on Final Rule to Allow Lemons from Northwest Argentina
On March 17, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a second 60-day stay on the effective date of its final rule, published on December 23, 2016, to allow the importation of fresh lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. No details were provided in ...
Nassif: 65 Percent Initial Water Allocation for South of Delta Ag ‘Defies Logic’
Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) announced a 65 percent initial allocation for farmers south of the Delta. The long awaited announcement came almost a month after farmers in other parts of the Central Valley received 100 percent initial allocations. Farmers had hoped this winter’s seemingly endless storms which have filled key storage ...
APMA Offering HR Certification Program in Napa Starting in Early April – Register Now
The Agricultural Personnel Management Association (APMA) will be offering a series of courses in the Napa Valley area designed specifically for agricultural human resources professionals and others who address personnel matters for their company. Classes can be taken individually or as part of a curriculum leading to a certificate and designation. Western Growers is a ...
Bulk Citrus Safeguarding Enforcement to Begin April 3, 2017
As reported in Spotlight on March 9, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) temporarily postponed enforcement of a new regulation requiring the tarping of citrus that is being transported in open trucks to prevent the potential spread of the Asian citrus psyllid. Enforcement was delayed to provide the citrus industry with additional time ...
UFW Ordered to Pay $1.2M in Wage & Hour Case
The United Farm Workers of America (UFW) has been ordered to pay $1.2 million in unpaid overtime and other penalties in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of current and former employees. On Monday, Monterey County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wills ruled in favor of about 160 UFW employees, finding that their employer failed to ...
New FDA Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Requirements for Loader/Shippers
On April 6, 2017, the FDA Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food became effective. With some exceptions, the rule applies to shippers, receivers, loaders, and carriers who transport food in the United States by motor or rail vehicle. Shippers, receivers, or carriers that have less than $500,000 in average annual revenue are ...
Help Western Growers Fight the $5 Billion Transportation Tax Increase Being Voted on This Week
The California Legislature is expected to vote this week on a multi-billion dollar transportation tax increase proposal put forth by Governor Jerry Brown, Speaker Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon. Western Growers issued an Action Alert to members yesterday urging them to contact their respective assemblymember and senator to tell them to ...