YOLO FOOD BANK RECEIVES RPE’S “TASTEFUL SELECTIONS” DONATIONS

RPE Gives Back By Donating To Yolo County Food Bank

TODAY, RPE Inc. and Tasteful Selections donated 20,000 pounds of Idaho russet potatoes to the Yolo Food Bank.  After RPE hosted the Tasteful Selections Trucktoberfest Showdown in West Sacramento in California’s Yolo County last month, Tasteful Selections wanted to give back to a great area that was so good to them during their event.

At the Showdown, local celebrity Kat Maudru, The Chairman Food Truck co-owner Kevin Kiwata, and Development Director of Yolo Food Bank Linda Zablotny-Hurst judged the event. The $1,000 grand prize went to Swabbies, known as the best Sacramento live music venue and restaurant on the river, which created a purple potato gnocchi dish with fresh marinara sauce.

Tasteful Selections originally planned to donate a pound of potatoes to Yolo Food Bank for every pound of potatoes sold during Trucktoberfest. After learning more about Yolo County, which has a food insecurity level of 17 percent, Tasteful Selections decided to increase that donation to 20,000 pounds, which will be distributed to families in need.
“At RPE we love to give back to the community,” said Russell Wysocki, CEO and President of RPE, “and we’re excited to help Yolo Food Bank bring the holidays to people throughout the county.”

The donation will be arrive just in time for the Thanksgiving season and the food bank’s holiday distribution program, which brings holiday meals to local families in need each November, December and March. The holiday distribution program feeds more than 15,000 residents of Yolo County annually.

Tasteful Selections LLC is a joint venture of RPE, CSS Farms and Plover River Farms Alliance Inc. and a vertically integrated grower, shipper, marketer of premium specialty potatoes with unique attributes for size and flavor. A second-generation family farm, RPE prides itself on maintaining a high level of business integrity that includes commitments to environmental sustainability, as well as category innovation and retail solutions.

2016-05-31T19:43:11-07:00November 6th, 2013|

JUDGE ISSUES DECISION IN TRI-FANUCCHI FARMS, INC.

Tri-Fanucchi Farms to Accommodate UFW Requests
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Thomas Sobel, issued his 23-page decision TODAY in the Tri-Fanucchi Farms, Inc., Case heard in Visalia on October 21, 2013.
After a long hiatus in bargaining, the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO requested information from and a meeting with Tri-Fanucchi, a farm near Bakersfield.
Tri-Fanucchi refused to provide information to the Union, to recognize the Union as the collective bargaining representative of its employees, and to bargain with the Union on the grounds that UFW had abandoned the farmworkers for 24 years.
ALJ Sobel ruled that the Tri-Fanucchi’s claim of Union abandonment is not available under the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA) and that, in view of the company’s admissions, the allegations in the Union’s Complaint must be taken as true.
Tri-Fanucchi was ordered, among other things, to provide information to, and to recognize and meet and bargain with the Union as the collective bargaining representative of its employees.
Tri-Fanucchi was also mandated to post the following:
NOTICE TO AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYEES
After investigating charges that were filed by the United Farm Workers of America, in the Visalia Office of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), the General Counsel of the ALRB issued a complaint that we had violated the law. After a hearing at which all parties had an opportunity to present evidence, the ALRB found that we had violated the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (Act) by failing to supply the Union with information to which it was entitled under the Act.
The ALRB has told us to post and publish this Notice.
The Agricultural Labor Relations Act is a law that gives you and all other farm workers in California these rights:
1. To organize yourselves;
2. To form, join or help a labor organization or bargaining representative;
3. To vote in a secret ballot election to decide whether you want a union to represent you;
4. To bargain with your employer about your wages and working conditions through a union chosen by a majority of the employees and certified by the Board;
5. To act together with other workers to help and protect one another; and
6. To decide not to do any of these things.
Because you have these rights, we promise that:
WE WILL NOT refuse to provide the Union with information necessary to foster informed collective bargaining.
WE WILL NOT refuse to meet and to bargain collectively and in good faith with the Union as the representative of our employees for the purpose of collective bargaining.
WE WILL NOT in any like or related manner, refuse to bargain with the Union over wages, hours or conditions of employment, or interfere with, restrain or coerce employees from exercising their right under the Act
DATED:
If you have any questions about your rights as farm workers or about this Notice, you may contact any office of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.
2016-05-31T19:43:11-07:00November 6th, 2013|

CALIFORNIA AG INDUSTRY COMMENTS ON FSMA

State Senator Galgiani Welcomes Food Safety Input


Proposed federal rules on food safety are a “one-size-fits-all” approach, which, in some cases,  are “excessive and unnecessary” and could pose “undue hardships” on growers, while not guaranteeing against bacterial outbreaks.


A panel of industry representatives shared their opinions yesterday at a Stockton City Hall informational hearing with State Senator Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.


Sen. Galgiani was seeking input from industry members about proposed FSMA produce safety rules, which are still being tweaked and will not take effect until at least 2015.   


Food safety experts, the director of inspection services for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and representatives for growers whose crops range from citrus fruits to almonds were among Monday’s speakers.


Much of the concern expressed at the meeting was over a proposed rule requiring growers to conduct weekly bacteria testing of surface water.

“A weekly water test is excessive and unnecessary,” said Scott Horsfall, head of the California Leafy Green Marketing Agreement. He said water tests are expensive and would not result in increased food safety. “We require a monthly water test. The water used in California is very, very clean. We’re not going to move the needle (on food safety) by requiring a weekly test.”


“With the diversity of California agriculture comes a complexity that, in my opinion, people in the rest of the country cannot comprehend,” said Jamie Johansson of the California Farm Bureau Federation, the harshest critic of the proposed rules. He called them a “broad overreach of executive power” and called for  simplification of the rules and review by farmers.


Sources:
Western United Dairymen,

Stockton Record

California State Senator Christeen Galgiani’s website:

2016-05-31T19:43:11-07:00November 6th, 2013|

Time Running Out for Immigration Bill

Republicans Must Compromise

On Immigration Bill

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

and Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

While it’s true that the majority of workers on California farms do not have legal status. And while there is a limited number of legal ag worker programs, the primary one being H2-A which is a stymied, and stifled program that only provides about four percent of the legal workforce, there is a critical need to get an Immigration Billed signed by the President.

Craig Regelbrugge
“We only have a few more weeks to get something done, but I believe it will happen,” said Craig Regelbrugge, Co-chair of Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform, speaking at the recent 32nd Annual Agribusiness Management Conference in Fresno.

‘There is more enforcement and much of that is in the form of I-9 audits, where government officials come in and audits a farmer’s paperwork, which leads to the firing of a large number of very experience workers,” said Regelbrugge. “These workers are generally not deported, but instead move on to rebuild their lives doing something else.”

“All this is leading to uncertainty and labor shortages with many crops such as pears, strawberries not getting completely harvested this year,” Regelbrugge.  “We are also seeing lost opportunities and offshoring of production to foreign countries that have the labor and resources to produce crops and then export it to us.  This all leads to economic and job loss and the ripple effect across the ag sector of the economy,” he noted.

“There is still time in the remaining few weeks for the house to work on a compromise,” he said. “Republicans should move bills that support their fundamental principals like market oriented, limited Government, individual initiative such as what immigration reform is all about,” noted Regelbrugge.

Central Valley Congressmen David Valadon and Jeff Denham deserve credit in their support of immigration reform. We need Devin Nunes to support the bill along with the third ranking Kevin McCarthy with us as well.

A 21st Century America requires a 21st Century Immigration system. Doing nothing is not an option. The bottom line is that the house must act this fall.

Also speaking at the conference was Monte Lake, a distinguished lawyer from the valley, specializing in agricultural employment, immigration and regulatory law.

Monte Lake
 “Our challenge over the years has been to unify agriculture,” said Lake. “We have made progress by uniting all the players who have been impacted to develop a program that works.”

“We need reform,” Lake continued. “We have a shortage of labor, not just a projected shortage, and it is a national problem.

Lake believes national immigration reform affects the Central Valley more than elsewhere. “Locally, many workers are undocumented and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is in the Valley. Packers are now targeted and directed to fire 80% of their workforce. This often devastatingly disrupts harvest time. Before long, electronic verification of employment documents will be mandated.”

“The H2A program is the only guest worker program for agriculture and it does not work; only 4% of the workforce in California come through it,” said Lake. “H2A must have been designed by Soviet bureaucracy—it is cumbersome, unworkable and untimely for perishable commodities. The average bureaucratic delay is 22 days, and wage rates are not market-based.”

 “The way to look at your future is you must have a Washington-perspective of what is doable,” Lake suggested. “A program that works must have basic standards demanded by the American public, including an acceptable basic wage, housing, and reasonable hours—a balance of worker and grower benefits.”

“But, here’s the challenge: it is not the world we want, it is the world we can achieve politically.”

The Senate has passed legislation for comprehensive agriculture immigration reform—theblue card program for the undocumented. Any undocumented who has worked in agriculture for 2 years, with a few caveats, can qualify for legal status. It is controversial because it touches on amnesty.

The intent is keep these individuals because we want to transition to an essential guest worker program, so we provide an incentive for undocumented farm workers to remain in agriculture. Visa programs and organized labor are against this.

The Senate supports factors such as administrative-free, work for anybody at will, administered by Department of Agriculture and not Department of Labor, with no cap on workers, careful consideration of wages for profitability, predictability and inflation.

Likewise, the House has drafted legislation that improves H2A but lacks structural changes. Undocumented workers can work for a 2-year period, but they must go home afterwards. A mass departure of farmworkers for an unspecified time concerns agricultural employers.

“Plus, mechanization has its limitations, and imports will increase,” Lake predicted.

Lake described a big advertisement by the agricultural industry this week in POLITICO, a widely read publication in Washington DC that shows an aircraft carrier sailing from American shores. On the deck is every type of agriculture, the message being that we are exporting our agricultural products overseas and must be able to compete internationally.

“We’ve go to solve this problem. If we fail, we will continue to have ICE and the H2A program,” warned Lake.

Lake summed up, “You have a good delegation in the Valley from both parties that recognizes the economic reality necessitating a viable immigration system. We’re talking about components: land, water, and labor.”

Lake emphasized, “You have to support and encourage the delegation; keep them active. Urge all of your colleagues in the industry to do the same. Make a lot of noise in Washington, DC because it impacts you. Keep up the pressure. Keep up the good work.”

2016-05-31T19:43:11-07:00November 6th, 2013|

GOT MILK? GOT MILK AND TEA? GOT MILK AWARDS?

GOT MILK? Celebrates 20 Years 
GOT MILK? Author’s Reflections
Milk and Tea—the New Cappuccino?

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

In 1993, Americans first witnessed what is now one of the country’s most highly recalled ad campaigns, “GOT MILK?”

Two decades later, the brand and its creator, the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), are still going strong!

To celebrate the brand’s 20-year history and success with the community, the CMPB announced the winners of the CMPB’s commemorative anniversary program, the GOT MILK? 20 Awards. Steve James, Executive Director of the CMPB said, “There is no better way to celebrate our milestone anniversary than by saluting 20 of these positive role models and their untiring work in their communities.”

The 20 GOT MILK? 20 Awardees include (listed by key markets):

Bay Area: Reading Partners, Oakland; Resource Area for Teaching, San Jose; North Bay Dairy Women’s Association, Petaluma

Sacramento:Runnin’ for Rhett, Elk Grove and Senior Gleaners, Sacramento

Fresno:Care Fresno Teen Leadership Program, Reading and Beyond and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Resources Program

Bakersfield:Reach for Greatness Mentoring Program

Los Angeles: Ability First, Long Beach; Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), Los Angeles; El Monte Unified High School District Food Services Department; InnerCity Struggle, East Los Angeles; Duke Welliver & the Peaceful Warrior Martial Arts Academy, San Clemente; Christmas in the Classroom, Fontana and Champions for Change – Desert Sierra Program, Riverside/San Bernardino/Palm Springs

San Diego: Miracle Babies, La Maestra Community Health Group, Child Nutrition Services at Vista Unified School District and San Marcos Unified School District’s Child Nutrition Services Department

GOT MILK? 20 Award winners will be presented their recognition and prize during ceremonies to be held in key markets during the month of November.

Funded by all California milk processors and administered by the CDFA, The California Milk Processor Board was established in 1993 to make milk more competitive and increase milk consumption in California. Awareness of the campaign is over 90% nationally and it is considered one of the most important and successful campaigns in history.

Sources: California Milk Processor Board, Business Wire
******
The California Milk Processors Board and GSP initiated the Got Milk?campaign in 1993, but what did GOT MILK? accomplish?

The tagline was first introduced in the television commercial, “Aaron Burr,” and has since been entered into CLIO Awards Advertising Hall of Fame.

Prior to the CMPB’s formation, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), had for many years produced the “Milk Does a Body Good”. But the old ads didn’t change consumers’ behavior; consumers-and especially kids and teens-still considered milk to be boring, (Yawn) and sales volume was fast declining.

In June 1993, Jeff Manning, Executive Director, was hired by CMPB to revive sagging milk consumption in California. “We weren’t going to turn around a 15-year decline in per capita in one year, but we did believe that at least for certain portions of the population, we could flatten it out and start to move it up,”

In 1994 California milk sales, for the first time in over a decade, increased to 755 million gallons from previous year’s 740 million.

In 2001, Manning established a web site to promote the GOT MILK? campaign on the internet to increase consumers’ interest in campaign as popular culture. More importantly, it would serve as a vehicle to promote products with the GOT MILK? slogan.

In 2008, GOT MILK? made it to television, along with continued success.

Soure: Advertising Educational Foundation


******
Jeff Goodby of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners wrote the GOT MILK? tagline. From AdWeek, Goodby looks back at the campaign on its 20th anniversary and offers some comments:

It is perhaps the most boring product imaginable.

We have all tried it. Most of us already own some. There is very little to say about it.

Milk is not new. It is not improved. It is white.

And so it was that when the California Milk Processor Board first asked us to pitch their business in 1993, we were shockingly ambivalent. A number of us simply thought the product was inherently too boring.

At a focus group, when the clouds parted and a woman said, “The only time I even think about milk is when I run out of it, Goodby scrawled, GOT MILK? on a poster board and decided it might be a tagline.

And of course, a 20-year downturn in California milk consumption leveled off and has even headed upward now and then.
******
Over the last five years, tea has become the new “it” beverage among Americans, especially here in California. As reported in Business Wire, thanks to their health benefits and the wide variety of herbs and flavors, tea and tea latte offerings now rival coffee drinks at major retail chains.

The California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), the creator of GOT MILK?, and Bay Area-based tea sommelier, Christopher Coccagna, have partnered to expand their markets by providing .beverage enthusiasts with innovative takes on teas with milk.

“Tea lattes are a fresh way to enjoy milk and the possible combinations are endless. We hope Californians try several varieties and recipes this season!”

“There are incredible varieties and flavors. Add milk, and tea becomes creamy, rich and even exciting.

Coccagna’s creations use only the finest ingredients, such as Velvety red rose petals, fragrant lavender blossoms, cool peppermint sprigs and spicy cardamom pods, with fresh milk to create modern beverages exclusively for GOT MILK?

“We are thrilled to explore the new world of tea with someone as passionate as Christopher,” says Steve James, CMPB Executive Director. “Tea lattes are a fresh way to enjoy milk and the possible combinations are endless. We hope Californians try several varieties and recipes this season!”

To learn more about the GOT MILK? Tea Lattes campaign, visit www.gotmilk.com/recipes.


2016-05-31T19:43:11-07:00November 5th, 2013|

“MELON MASTERS” – NEW CDFA GROWING CALIFORNIA VIDEO

Perry and Sons Featured in Growing California Video Series
The new video on CDFA’s Growing California video series is titled, “Melon Masters”.

Art Perry, CEO, Perry & Sons, Inc. introduces the company, now in its 4th farming generation. The farm, one of California’s largest growers, shippers and handlers of watermelons, has been family owned and operated since 1925.

The video highlights the farm’s harvesting equipment, family farming history, imports, and harvest seasons, among other topics. The farm also grows pumpkins; they harvest healthy, “fun” products that children, and yes adults, like.

To increase production, Perry and Sons has expanded its farming by buying watermelons from local growers and Mexico to supplement the farm to fulfill the increasing demand from customers. This enables the company to supply watermelons 365 days a year to their customers.

2016-05-31T19:43:12-07:00November 5th, 2013|

EXTENDED FOREIGN SUPPLIER VERIFICATION COMMENT PERIOD

FDA To Extend Comment Period For Foreign Supplier Verification Programs
FDA posted TODAY that it will soon announce a 60-day extension of the comment period on proposed rules for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals and Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification bodies to Conduct Food Safety Audits to Issue Certifications. 

The current comment period for both proposed rules is scheduled to end November 26, 2013.  Details to follow.

For more information on FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act, visit http://www.fda.gov/fsma

2016-05-31T19:43:12-07:00November 5th, 2013|

FSA RESUMES 2013 CROP COMMODITY LOAN DISBURSEMENTS

Crop Commodity Loan 
Disbursements Resume

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced TODAYthe resumption of 2013 Crop Commodity Loan Disbursements.


Crop year 2013 commodity loan-making was suspended Oct. 1, 2013, to make changes necessary to accommodate the automatic funding reductions known as sequester. Sequestration is mandated by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011.


The commodity loan programs provide interim financing to producers for agricultural commodities stored after harvest and then sold throughout the year. Producers requesting 2013 crop commodity loans on their harvested commodities now will have a 5.1 percent reduction to the loan amount upon its disbursement, due to the sequestration. Commodity loans issued by marketing associations and loan servicing agents are also subject to the sequestration reduction.


During the period that loan-making was suspended, producers were still able to submit loan applications to their county FSA offices, marketing associations and loan servicing agents. The processing and disbursement of these applications will begin immediately.


For further information about commodity marketing loans, farmers may contact their local county FSA office or go online to www.fsa.usda.gov.


As an example, Tulare County USDA Service Center posted on its website:


The election of agricultural producers to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) that every eligible producer participate in these elections because FSA county committees are a link between the agricultural community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


County Committee (COC) members are a critical component of FSA operations. The intent is to have the COC reflect the diversity of producers and represent all constituents. This means that minorities, women or lower income producers need to be on the committee to speak for underrepresented groups.


County Committee election ballots will be mailed to eligible Local Administrative Area (LAA) 2 voters on Nov. 4, 2013. The last day to return completed ballots to the USDA Service Center is Dec. 2, 2013.

2016-05-31T19:43:12-07:00November 5th, 2013|

CDFA SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT COMMITTEE OPEN FOR NEW MEMBERS

CDFA TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE SEEKS NEW REVIEWERS

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross announced TODAY the opportunity to serve as a reviewer on the 2014 Specialty Crop Block Grant Technical Review Committee. Individuals with interest and expertise in the agricultural sector are encouraged to apply.


This Technical Review Committee reviews, evaluates, and makes recommendations to CDFA on proposals submitted for funding from the California Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.


The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is designed to enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops – fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Grant awards range from $50,000 to $400,000 per project. Funding is contingent upon passage of a Farm Bill and available funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA, AMS).


The Specialty Crop Technical Review Committee will consist of individuals who have knowledge and expertise regarding California’s specialty crop industry, and who may represent government and non-government organizations. The timeframe for reviewing proposals is between January and May 2014. The first meeting will be held in January 2014. By establishing the Technical Review Committee, CDFA maintains a competitive process to ensure maximum public input and benefit.


Individuals interested in serving on the Technical Review Committee should include a letter of interest, short biography, and statement of qualifications identifying the California Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding category or categories related to the applicants area of expertise. 

For a description of the funding categories, please reference the Notice of Funding Availability posted at www.cdfa.ca.gov/grants.

Information should be submitted via email to Leslie Sullivan (grants@cdfa.ca.gov) before December 2, 2013.

2016-05-31T19:43:12-07:00November 4th, 2013|

UPDATE: GERAWAN FARM EMPLOYEES TO VOTE ON THEIR ECONOMIC DESTINY

Gerawan Employees Will Vote Tomorrow On UFW Representation

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

Dan Gerawantold California Ag Today that Gerawan farm employees would be given the chance on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, to exercise their right to decide their own economic destiny.


The state’s Agriculture Labor Relations Board (ALRB), in a reversal of its earlier decision, is allowing workers, or “petitioners”, at Gerawan Farming to hold an election tomorrow, on whether they want to decertify UFW, in other words, to determine if they want to be represented by the United Farm Workers union.


This new development follows a very fast roller coaster of events last week.

Led by longtime Gerawan employee, Silvia López, the workers gathered thousands of signatures calling for a new election. The first attempt failed after many of the signatures were found to be invalid. However, a second attempt, which gathered 3,000 signatures, satisfied the number of valid signatures necessary.


Silas Shawver, regional director of ALRB, overturned the employees’ right for an election citing that the petition and signatures in too late to be valid.


On Thursday morning, October 31, 2013, the ALRB in Sacramento issued a “Showing of Interest” whereby Shawver confirmed there were enough qualifying signatures on the employee’s petition to warrant a vote.


Later that morning, the petitioners’ attorneyannounced in a press release the election would move forward.


By Thursday evening, Shawver again blocked the election, saying there were pending unfair labor practice complaints.


On Friday, Gerawan employees did not show up for work. Instead they traveled to the ALRB office (for the second time) and demanded the right to vote. After hours of protesting, an ALRB representative came out and announced by bullhorn that the most recent decision was overturned and the election would, indeed, occur.


In this latest decision, The Board made it clear that the Regional Director’s “last minute,” “eleventh-hour charges” in a “late filed complaint” left the Board “with serious doubts as to the propriety of using that complaint to block the election.” The Board rebuked the Regional Director for failing to mention statements he made in Fresno Superior Court, where he told Judge Jeffrey Hamilton that Gerawan and the Board remedied some of the alleged unfair labor practice charges he now claims justify blocking the election.


So, ALRB decided to allow the election while also impounding the ballots pending the resolution of any election objections and unfair labor practice complaints.


The ALRB issued a Notice and Direction of Election on November 3, 2013 included the following text:


This election is being held to determine whether a majority of the employees in this unit wish to continue to be represented by the United Farm Workers of America for collective bargaining with Gerawan on wages, hours, and working conditions.


It is a secret ballot election, which will be supervised by an agent of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.


You are eligible to vote if you worked for Gerawan during the week of October 14, 2013 to October 20,2013, if you are not a supervisor, if you are not directly related to the employer, if you are not a confidential employee, and if you are not a guard.


If there are any questions, feel free to contact the ALRB office (listed below). If you wish to vote, you will be asked for identification such as a photo ID (such as a driver’s license), a Gerawan paystub, or any other identification as required by the Board Agent in charge.


ALRB has determined when and where elections will be held on various Gerawan sites on the Eastside in Reedley and on the Westside in the Kerman area.  ALRB will also conduct the elections.


Observers will include employees chosen by the UFW and employees chosen among the petitioners. Attorneys and management will not be present.


TODAY, ALRB will instruct Gerawan employees on their rights and where voting will take place tomorrow.

Upon completion of the election tomorrow, the ballots will be impounded pending resolution of legal challenges. 


“There’s no telling of when or if ballots will be counted,” said Gerawan.  “ALRB will first investigate employer allegations, both existing and new.


***

In a related story, Gerawan filed a lawsuit on October 28, 2013 in Fresno County Superior Court against the ALRB alleging one of its employee’s first amendment rights were violated after being denied access to a mediation session.


According to the lawsuit, the employee, Lupe Garcia, attempted to attend a mediation meeting between Gerawan and the United Farm Workers union in June, but was told by the state-appointed mediator that the proceedings were confidential.


Gerawan’s lawyers argue Garcia’s first amendment rights were violated by not being allowed in the session. They are asking the court to make the mediation meetings open to the public.

***

Additional Sources: CalWatchDog,Fresno Bee, ALRB

2016-05-31T19:43:12-07:00November 4th, 2013|

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

(We do not share your data with anybody, and only use it for its intended purpose)

California Ag News…
At Your Fingertips!

Unable to load Tweets

Copyright 2021 California Ag Today | CaliforniaAgToday.com owned and operated by Californians.

Website Designed by Desert Tech Pros

Copyright 2021 California Ag Today | CaliforniaAgToday.com owned and operated by Californians.

Website Designed by Desert Tech Pros

Go to Top