WATSONVILLE -- Workers at Corralitos Farms are denying union charges of unfair labor practices by management during a recent election.
Labor Commissioner Issues 2014 Minimum Wage Notice
According to Julie A. Su, California Labor Commissioner, DLSE has issued a new minimum wage notice for 2014.
The new notice can be found under "Employer requirements" then "Notices and posters" and under the subheading "Minimum wage" on the Department of Industrial Relations website www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/dlse.html. Su said in an email communication, "We developed that in December so that employers could post a single poster for all of 2014 and 2015. We will also make a note on the IWC orders that statutory changes have affected the minimum wage and all calculations based on the minimum wage so the minimum wage notice trumps the rate listed in each wage order separately. It will be very costly to reprint all of them so we've updated the notice and hope that it will work."
California's Union-Sponsored War on Farmers
September 3, 2013
ByALLYSIA FINLEY an editorial writer for the Journal
A version of this article appeared in The Wall Street Journal
'At what point do you look at this picture and ask, 'Why are you fighting anymore?'" muses Dan Gerawan, whose third-generation family farm in Fresno, Calif., has been under assault by California's labor-regulatory complex.
Within days a state mediator could impose an unwieldy labor contract that may force him out of business. However, the ultimate victims will be his farm workers.
Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed to 2015
Late on July 2, the Obama Administration announced a one year delay on the mandate for so-called applicable large employers (employers employing 50 or more employees). This mandate was originally to take effect on January 1, 2015.
Report Reveals Record-breaking Results for Labor Law Enforcement in California
In a report released in May 2013, Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su announced that labor law enforcement under Governor Brown in the first two years of his Administration resulted in more minimum and overtime wages found owing to California workers and more monetary penalties for illegal business practices than in any previous year in the past decade. In addition, the Labor Commissioner's improved targeting has protected law-abiding businesses from indiscriminate investigations. This effort reflects the Brown Administration’s commitment to protecting California’s workers through the enforcement of laws targeting the state’s underground economy.
Spanish Human Trafficking Poster Available
Beginning April 1, 2013 certain California employers and businesses, including farm labor contractors, must post a recently released notice developed the State of California Department of Justice (DOJ). (For a complete list of covered employers see California Civil Code §52.6 below)
2013 Form W-4 Available
We have received several calls to the FELS Sacramento office asking about "draft" 2013 W-4 forms found until recently on the Internal Revenue Service's website. "Draft" forms published to IRS' website are not to be used.
Bitterness continues after UFW's loss at Corralitos Farms
By Donna Jones
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Posted: 10/04/2012 06:05:19 PM PDT
Commentary: Obama Hits a Foul by
Honoring Cesar Chavez
Ruben Navarrette, CNN
"...Chavez has significance as a historical figure. It is because of the UFW that farmworkers now have clean water and toilets in the fields, collective bargaining, lunch breaks and other legal protections. But Chavez was never a leader for all Latinos....Last, most Latinos disapprove of the president's heavy-handed immigration policies and record number of deportations....Chavez earned many titles in his life, but "champion of immigrants" was not one of them. He was primarily a labor leader who was concerned about illegal immigrants undercutting union members, either by accepting lower wages or crossing picket lines....According to many historical accounts, Chavez ordered union members to call the Immigration and Naturalization Service and report illegal immigrants who were working in the fields so that they could be deported."
Cesar Chavez, flawed hero of the fields
Los Angeles Times: Opinion
By Matt Garcia
September 25, 2012
Cesar Chavez died in 1993, but the Mexican American labor leader's prominence continues to grow. But they have obscured another part of his legacy, one of miscalculation and failure. Read the full opinion article at: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-garcia-cesar-chavez-20120925,0,112684.story
8 Questions an Employer Should Ask Before Taking an Adverse Employment Action
Ashley PackSeptember 11, 2012
As seen in the West Virginia Chamber’s Human Resources Journal.
A wrongful discharge suit can be very costly to your company. These suits involve back pay; reinstatement or front pay until retirement; damages for humiliation and embarrassment; attorney fees; and in some situations, punitive damages. It’s not uncommon to hear of jury verdicts far exceeding $1 million for an individual plaintiff. Attorney fees payable to plaintiff’s counsel can often be assessed, which is on top of the verdict and can easily cost $300,000 to $500,000. Such cases not only expose the company to large monetary risk, they can be very disruptive to both production and morale.