The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) has issued noticed that the OSH Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting on Wednesday March, 2, 2016, in Yuma, Arizona. Among other agenda items, the committee will be entertaining discussion and taking public comment on recommendations for a proposed ‘backover’ standard covering agriculture issues in ...
Later this spring, the Supreme Court will be taking up U.S. v. Texas, and the court’s decision in this case will determine whether the Obama Administration’s expanded deferred action program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), is allowed to proceed or not. A number of groups across the country and in California are preparing ...
The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a notice announcing this year’s Allowable Charges for H-2A workers. The notice establishes the allowable charges that H-2A employers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2016. When an ...
On March 2, 2016, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated Imperial, Marin, Mendocino and Trinity counties in California as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought. Because they are contiguous to the prime disaster designated counties, the following counties in California and Arizona are also eligible ...
Following the release of their Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Regulations on February 18, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that it has made a guide to the regulations available on the Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) webpage. The Draft GSP Emergency Regulations Guide provides information essential to understanding the Draft GSP Emergency…
The Arizona Department of Agriculture (ADA) announced this week that the 2016 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – Farm Bill grant manual is now available and applications are now being accepted. The sole purpose of the Specialty Block Grant Program is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Arizona. The department projects that $840,000 ...
Western Growers has long advocated for Congress to take action on immigration reform in order to provide members with a legal and reliable workforce. We will continue to work toward meaningful solutions critical to the needs of our industry and the nation. However, because of Washington’s intractable political climate, we have broadened our efforts to ...
In case you missed it, on Monday, Western Growers launched a digital media campaign aimed at intensifying awareness among urban Californians about the water being lost to the sea this winter and the need for federal and state leaders to exert pressure on water system operators to capture and store those El Niño waters before ...
Last Friday, Senator Dianne Feinstein pushed the issue of capturing El Nino water into high gear by publicly calling for federal regulators to increase the pumping of storm pulse flows through the Delta as much as possible within the bounds of existing environmental restrictions. Feinstein’s comments came during the same week that Western Growers launched ...
While St. Patrick’s Day didn’t produce a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it did bring about the end of this year’s March Western Growers’ Board of Directors’ meeting. Beginning Monday evening and concluding Thursday afternoon, directors gathered in Sacramento to engage on a variety of complex issues facing the industry and ...
Today, Western Growers and the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) issued a joint press release announcing the organizations will be filing an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging provisions of AB 1513, a bill signed into last year law. That law provides a safe harbor from class action lawsuits to employers who make ...
On Tuesday, March 29, Western Growers was part of a group of agriculture and horticulture organizations that hosted a luncheon for Arizona legislators on the grounds of the state Capitol. Unofficially known as Ag Day at the Capitol, the legislators and other public officials came out in droves to mingle with staff and members from ...
Western Growers’ Board of Directors voted earlier this month to oppose the “Cortopassi Initiative.” The Initiative would require statewide voter approval before revenue bonds in excess of $2 billion can be issued to fund many public infrastructure projects, including some local projects funded by ratepayers through joint powers authorities. “The Cortopassi Initiative would create a…
As previously announced in our March 24, 2016, Spotlight article, Western Growers and industry partners have filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of provisions of AB 1513 that effectively carves-out two growers from taking advantage of the bill’s safe harbor provisions. The brief was drafted by Pacific Legal Foundation ...
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has issued a new pregnancy rights poster for employers to use in satisfying posting requirements under California’s Pregnancy Disability Leave law. The new poster has the same title, “Your Rights and Obligations as a Pregnant Employee” as the previous pregnancy rights poster known as Notice A. ...
On April 11, 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation into law that expands the state’s Paid Family Leave program allowing more Californians to care for an ill family member or bond with a new child. AB 908, sponsored by Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles), increases wage replacements from the current level of 55 percent ...
It’s April and that means WG members are likely in Annual Meeting limbo; far enough removed from the activities of the 90th Annual Meeting held in San Diego last November to be reflecting on them and perhaps not thinking ahead to this year’s Annual Meeting. Well, it’s our job to bring you out of limbo ...
Last week, Western Growers sent an Action Alert to members asking them to contact their respective assembly members as soon as possible and urge a NO vote on Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) farmworker overtime bill (AB 2757). A follow-up Action Alert will be sent out next week to those who have not acted reminding them ...
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced it will present an update on the Groundwater Sustainable Plan (GSP) Emergency Regulations to the California Water Commission (CWC) at the CWC’s public meeting in Sacramento April 20, 2016. The proceedings will also be webcast. DWR is required to adopt emergency regulations by June 1, 2016. The ...
With the possibility of additional H2A processing delays threatening farming operations in California, Arizona and elsewhere, WG board members flew to Washington, D.C. and met with representatives from the three federal agencies responsible for processing applications. Board members used the opportunity to highlight the increasing usage of H-2A and why there is every expectation the ...