FELS Newsletter: February & March 2025

The United Farm Workers of America (UFW) formally withdrew its request for mandatory mediation and conciliation, or MMC, with Wonderful Grapevine Nurseries on Feb. 26. Either an agricultural employer or labor union certified to represent the employer’s agricultural employees (though there is virtually no circumstance where an employer would likely do so) may request the […]

FELS has received unconfirmed reports of Cal/OSHA enforcement at dairy operations in Northern California. It is unknown what the focus of this enforcement might be. Agricultural employers should have, at a minimum, Employment Posters and Notices in areas of the worksite readily accessible to employees and a FELS HR compliance manual (see the FELS store for more products; FELS Newsletter […]

Dept. of Homeland Security Newsroom DHS Will Use Every Available Tool to Compel Illegal Aliens to Self-Deport  Feb. 25, 2025, WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary Kristi Noem announced the Department of Homeland Security will fully enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act, which created multiple tools to track illegal aliens and compel them to leave the country […]

Hunton, Andrews & Kurth, LLP A new law addressing workplace violence restraining orders, which expands employers’ ability to obtain temporary restraining orders in non-violent situations of harassment and was signed into law on Sept. 30, 2023, became effective on Jan. 1, 2025. You can read more at Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives.

Hall Benefits Law, LLC On Jan. 3, Congress passed two bills that decrease the amount of reporting employers and insurers must complete under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Paperwork Burden Reduction Act and the Employer Reporting Improvement Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law, change employer and insurer notices to individuals required by the ACA. You […]

A group of 20 Wonderful Nurseries employees has joined as intervenors in a legal challenge to the Agricultural Labor Relations Board’s certification of United Farm Workers (UFW) as their collective bargaining representative. The lawsuit alleged coercion and misconduct by the union during the authorization process, conducted under the card-check process added to the Agricultural Labor […]

California’s pay data reporting portal opened on Feb. 1. The deadline for submission of pay data reports for 2025 is May 14. Since the passage of SB 973 in 2020, California has mandated that employers with at least 100 employees submit a pay data report to the state Civil Rights Department as part of its efforts […]

California Department of Industrial Relations Newsroom The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is advising employers that most of its COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standards ended in February. Cal/OSHA’s regulations took effect on Feb. 3, 2023, and remained in effect for two years, except for the reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which remain in effect until 2026. […]

Lawrence Sloan, AIHA CEO Member, National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health As extreme heat events become increasingly frequent and severe across the United States, industries like agriculture—where labor is essential regardless of the weather—are facing heightened challenges. Protecting workers from extremes like heat-related risks is no longer just an operational concern; it’s a moral […]