Farm Labor Relations

Farm Labor Relations. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Spring is finally taking over from the cold, wet winter months and Dan Fazio with Washington Farm Labor Organization says it’s time to start hiring your seasonal crew.

FAZIO: I wanted to talk to you about unions and labor relations in light of what’s been happening recently in California. First, the California Assembly passed an agriculture “card check” bill. And what the “card check” bill does it would allow any union to become the bargaining unit for workers without a secret ballot election. We expect the governor in California to sign that bill.

He says he doubts that Washington State will ever have such a law.

FAZIO: But that’s not going to stop unions from trying to use it. As a matter of fact, when the United Farm Workers union tried to unionize a dairy in Pasco in July of 2009, the union rep told the owners that he had a card check majority signature of workers and that he represented the workers and that the owner could therefor only talk to the labor union, and could no longer talk directly to his crew.

He says they have an article about this on their website, wafla.org.

FAZIO: Give us a call if you have any questions about labor relations this time of year. Best probably on this one for people to call me on my cell. It’s 360-951-8641.

Tomorrow Fazio talks about what to do if your crew threatens a work stoppage.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.