A group of 20 workers from Wonderful Nurseries has joined a lawsuit challenging the United Farm Workers’ (UFW) union certification at the Wasco-based nursery, alleging coercion and misconduct during the card check authorization process. 

The lawsuit, originally filed by Wonderful Company against the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), claims the union engaged in “fraud, duress, trickery, deceit, misrepresentation, and other unlawful conduct” to secure worker signatures. The workers argue that the card check process that was signed into California law in 2022 deprived them of the right to a secret ballot vote on union representation. 

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which is providing legal support to the workers, contends that the ALRB’s decision to certify the UFW imposes union representation on employees without their full and voluntary consent. Under the certification, all workers at Wonderful Nurseries must be represented by the UFW for at least three years, regardless of whether they supported the unionization effort. 

Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation, criticized California’s labor policies, stating, “By granting union bosses the authority to sweep workers under their control with suspect ‘card check’ campaigns, then having the government impose a forced-dues contract over the objection of both workers and businesses, California legislators have created an environment where workers’ individual rights are being crushed to promote raw, unchecked union boss power.” 

Wonderful Nurseries employees Claudia Chavez and Maria Guitierrez echoed these concerns. “UFW union officials deceived us just so they could gain power in our workplace,” Chavez and Gutierrez commented after filing the complaint. “Instead of just letting us vote in secret on whether we want a union, they went around lying and threatening to get cards and now are cracking down on anyone who speaks out against the union.”