The United Farm Workers of America (UFW) formally withdrew its request for mandatory mediation and conciliation, or MMC, with Wonderful Grapevine Nurseries on February 26. Either party (though there are virtually no circumstances where an employer would be likely to do so) may request MMC if contract negotiations between a union and an employer have not resulted in a final agreement. The typical result of MMC is the imposition of a collective bargaining agreement that is generally more favorable to the interests of the union than the employer.

UFW explained it withdrew its MMC request because of communication from Wonderful that it had changed its “business plans,” though UFW did not explain the nature of the change.

The Agricultural Labor Relations Board’s (ALRB) certification as the collective bargaining representative for Wonderful’s employees (as few as may remain) is still valid. It’s unclear what next steps may be for UFW, Wonderful, and the ALRB.