Posts By: Jeff Janas
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DWR to Hold Series of Meetings on Groundwater Best Management Practices
DWR is hosting a series of public meetings to share information and to seek feedback on a draft of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for sustainable groundwater management. BMPs are intended to provide clarification, guidance, and examples to help Groundwater Sustainability Agencies develop the essential elements of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the sustainable management of ...
AZ Voters Pass Minimum Wage Hike and Paid Sick Time
Arizona voters passed Proposition 206 (the “Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act”) which raises the minimum wage in Arizona from $8.05 per hour to $10.00 per hour on January 1, 2017, and incrementally over the next four years to $12 per hour. Then, the minimum wage will increase with the cost of living starting in 2021. In addition, ...
Changes to FLSA White Collar Exemptions Take Effect December 1
The deadline for employers to implement changes to the federal “white collar” overtime compensation requirement is just two weeks away. As previously reported in Spotlight, the U.S. Department of Labor issued revised regulations covering the “white collar” exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) last May. Those employees who meet the regulatory requirements are…
As AB 1513 Deadline Looms, Beware of Back Payment Check Fraud
Western Growers members making back payments of wages pursuant to AB 1513 are advised to confirm that negotiated checks match both the intended recipient and amount. Western Growers has been advised that there have been cases of checks being altered to change the name of the payee and the check amount. In one case, a ...
Arizona Department of Ag Ready to Assist with Export Certificates
In preparation for the winter harvest in Yuma, the Arizona Department of Ag has authorized staff to work extended hours during the week to provide greater flexibility and timeliness for facilitating the industries’ export certification needs. The fee is $56 ($50 for the inspection and certification of each lot and $6 for the Federal administrative fee required…
Court Blocks FLSA Overtime Rule
On November 22, 2016, the U.S. District Court in Texas granted a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Labor’s final overtime exemption rule, which would have raised the minimum salary threshold to qualify for the Fair Labor Standards Act’s white collar exemption to $47,476 per year, starting December 1, 2016. The rule is now ...
DWR Sets Initial State Water Allocation at 20 Percent
The California Department of Water Resources announced a 20 percent initial state water allocation for 2017 for customers served by the State Water Project (SWP). State officials suggested the allocation amount may change in the spring of next year depending on the amount of precipitation winter storms bring to the state. According the DWR’s release, ...
Japan Frustrated with Celery MRL Violations
Western Growers has been advised of another maximum residue level (MRL) violation involving a shipment of celery to Japan. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare discovered a shipment that produced a 0.02 ppm residue level of Bifenthrin which exceeds Japan’s default MRL of 0.01 ppm. These continued violations have not only caused the Ministry to ...
Agricultural Overtime Implementation Update
The passage of AB 1066 has generated numerous questions about how the legislation’s provisions will be interpreted and implemented by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the California Labor Commissioner. Western Growers has been working in close conjunction with other industry organizations to identify ambiguous language in the statute requiring clarification by state…
Exported U.S. Onions Violate Taiwanese Food Standards Requirements
Nine U.S. export shipments of onions to Taiwan have been tested and found to be non-compliant with Taiwan’s food safety standards. The violations include five for cadmium; two for Chlorpropham; and two for Dicloran. Taiwan is requesting that the industry tighten up U.S. export controls to avoid future violations and sanctions. Taiwan has requested a ...
Former WG Chairman Lael C. Lee, Jr. Passes Away at 95
Lael C. Lee, former Western Growers’ Director and Chairman passed away on December 4, 2016, at the age of 95. Lee served on the WG Board of Directors from 1973 to 1985 and became Chairman in 1982. According to an LA Times obituary, following his honorable discharge from the United States Army Air Corp., Lee, ...
APMA 37th Annual Forum to be Held January 25-27 in Monterey
Please join the Agricultural Personnel Management Association (APMA) for the 37th Annual Forum, January 25 – 27, 2017, at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa. WG Vice President and General Counsel Jason Resnick will launch this three-day annual conference by leading a comprehensive session on the H-2A process. His session on Wednesday, January 25, will ...
Projected H-2A Wage Rates for 2017
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released data that will be used to calculate the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for H-2A workers for 2017. Arizona’s AEWR is expected to decrease from $11.20 to $10.95 per hour. California’s AEWR is expected to increase from $11.89 to $12.57 per hour. Colorado’s AEWR is expected ...
Ninth Circuit Issues Opinion in AB 1513 Carve Out Case
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an opinion reinstating Fowler Packing Company’s and Gerawan Farming, Inc.’s lawsuit alleging that the Legislature denied them equal protection by intentionally targeting and excluding them from the AB 1513 piece-rate law safe harbor in order to win support for the bill from the United Farm Workers union. ...
Mexico’s Minimum Wage to Increase
Workers in Mexico earning minimum wage will earn $80.04 Mexican pesos (MXN), approximately $3.88 USD, as of January 1, 2017, up from $73.04 MXN, approximately $3.54 (USD). The increase was approved December 1 by the Mexican National Minimum Wages Commission. The wage increase actually consists of a pair of increases to the minimum wage. First, ...
Western Growers Presents Basket of Fresh Arizona Produce to Governor Ducey; Holiday Reminder
With the Holiday Season in full swing, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey was presented with a basket of fresh Arizona grown produce this morning at his capitol office from AnnaMarie Knorr, Western Growers’ Arizona government affairs manager. Last week, the governor took time from his busy schedule to join some Western Growers’ Arizona directors and ...
New Notification: California Earned Income Tax Credit
AB 1847, which was signed into law on September 12, 2016, amends California’s Revenue and Taxation Code by requiring employers that that were previously required to notify employees of their eligibility for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to also notify them that they may be eligible for the California Earned Income Tax Credit. ...
Western Growers Urges Opposition to Water Board’s Proposed Unimpaired Water Flow Rule
The State Water Resources Control Board (Board) will hold its final regional workshop on proposed rule changes to the Water Quality Control Plan and unimpaired flow proposals for the Delta on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, in Sacramento. The proposed changes would increase unimpaired flows from the San Joaquin River by 40 percent in order to ...
Reminder: State Minimum Wage Increases Go into Effect January 1, 2017
For employers with 26 or more employees, California’s minimum wage will go up from $10 per hour to $10.50 on January 1, 2017, pursuant to SB 3. This in turn will raise the California white collar exemption rate to $43,680 per year. The minimum wage will increase each year until the wage reaches $15 per hour ...
US Wins WTO Trade Dispute Case against Indonesia
The United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office announced today, that the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel found in favor of the United States’ challenge to Indonesia’s wide-ranging restrictions and prohibitions on horticultural products, animals, and animal products. The United States filed this dispute to address trade barriers in Indonesia that…