A federal court in Georgia on August 26 issued a preliminary injunction that halts the Department of Labor’s implementation of a disturbing regulation that would have forced farms to allow temporary foreign agricultural workers to unionize. The case was brought by Southeastern Legal Foundation on behalf of Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Association, Miles Berry Farm, […]
FELS Newsletter: September 2024
Cal/OSHA Announces Ag Enforcement Unit
Cal/OSHA has announced it is planning to form a new Agricultural Enforcement Task Force and Outreach Unit. The new Ag Enforcement Task Force expects to create and staff four new district offices in Lodi, Salinas, Bakersfield, and El Centro, along with satellite offices in Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Riverside, and […]
Cal/OSHA News Release: Wildfire Smoke Alert: Cal/OSHA Reminds Employers to Protect Workers from Unhealthy Air
Sept. 9, San Bernardino—Cal/OSHA is reminding employers to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. Currently, the Line Fire is impacting air quality in areas around San Bernardino and Riverside. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Cal/OSHA’s Protection from Wildfire Smoke standard requires employers to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. […]
UFW Appeals Preliminary Injunction in Wonderful Case
FELS’ parent organization, California Farm Bureau, joined 10 other agricultural employer organizations in an amici curiae brief supporting Wonderful Nurseries’ challenge to the majority support petition procedure under the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, whereby a labor union can become the collective bargaining agent of agricultural employees without winning a secret ballot election. The brief […]
Ag Employer Cited for 48-Inch Platform Guardrail Violation
FELS has learned that a Central Valley agricultural employer has been cited by Cal/OSHA for employees loading harvested produce onto a trailer that created a working platform greater than four feet in height lacking guardrails. Cal/OSHA General Industry Safety Order (GISO) 3210 Guardrails at Elevated Locations specifies situations where employers must furnish guardrails at locations […]
FELS COO Appointed to WCIRB Board
On Aug. 13, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced the appointment of FELS Chief Operating Officer Bryan Little as a member the California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s Governing Committee. The WCIRB Governing Committee sets policy, oversees WCIRB management, and reviews all issues involving pure premium rates, classifications, rating plans, rating systems, manual rules and […]
California’s Minimum Wage is Increasing Again in 2025
Editor’s Note: California Farm Bureau has updated its table Increases in Minimum Wages; Increases in Minimum Salary of Exempt Executive, Administrative, or Professional Employees; Phase In of Overtime Thresholds for Non-Exempt Agricultural Employees found on the CAFB website. On Aug. 1, California’s Department of Finance director officially certified that beginning Jan. 1, California’s minimum wage […]
As Temperatures Lower, COVID-19 Cases Rise
As California begins to transition from summer to fall, we are hearing reports of COVID-19 cases rising. Although COVID-19 has become something like the common cold and flu season, it is important for employers to remember to comply with Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulation (“Regulations”). As you all remember, on Feb. 3, 2023, Cal/OSHA implemented […]
Form I-9 Update
EXPIRATION DATE EXTENDED: Last year, we updated you on the newest changes to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, which involved extensive substantive modifications to various sections of the hiring form. Employers are more than familiar with Form I-9, which verifies the identity and employment authorization of their newly hired employees. […]
Reasonable Accomodations in the Workplace – A Crash Course
In addition to reporting on the latest news regarding employment law, we sometimes like to pause and reflect on day-to-day topics that may provide employers with useful reminders about compliance with state and federal law. You may encounter at your workplace a current or future employee with a disability who requires accommodation. Do you know […]
