CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CONTINUING A LEGACY OF POWERFUL ADVOCACY FOR CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE.
With veto-proof supermajorities in both houses of the California legislature, Western Growers’ state advocacy efforts are more critical, and must be more strategic, than ever. Given the current legislative environment, Western Growers achieved remarkable success in advancing the public policy priorities of our members.
CARD CHECK The most critical victory of 2021 was the defeat of AB 616, the California legislature’s latest attempt to enact card check. This bill would have gutted the Agricultural Labor Relations Act by stripping farmworkers of their fundamental right to a secret ballot election. Western Growers led industry opposition to AB 616 and the bill was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom.
PLASTIC CONTAINERS Western Growers actively opposed several bills that would have created unrealistic mandates on the use of plastic containers and had an outsized impact on grower and shipper operations. AB 478 would have established unreasonable post-consumer recycled (PCR) content requirements for thermoform plastic containers. AB 1371 would have placed a broad prohibition on retailers from using single-use plastic packaging. SB 54 would have placed a prohibition on the producers of single-use disposable packaging from offering for sale or distributing into the state these products after January 1, 2032, unless the products are recyclable or compostable. Each of these bills were stopped at various points in the process. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE AB 1192 would have mandated employers to publicly disclose specific employee information, including pay data, which would subject employers to unwarranted shaming and frivolous litigation. This bill was held in the Assembly and is now a two-year bill.
TRAVEL TIME Western Growers led an agricultural and general business coalition in opposition to AB 857, which would have expanded the definition of “voluntary” and “mandated” travel time. This bill was held on the Senate floor and is now a two-year bill.
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