FELS Newsletter, March 2026
FELS Newsletter: March 2026
Farmworkers Lament Loss of Hours and Pay
Araceli Aceves Cortés used to get by working in the fields and orchards of the Sacramento Valley. For 60 hours a week, when seasonal work was available, the mother of three pruned nut trees or tended fields of melons or tomatoes in Colusa County. She paid her rent. She stocked up on meat and vegetables […]
California Farmer Survey: Immigration Enforcement Affects Food Procution
The California Farmer Immigration Enforcement Survey was conducted in December 2025 and January 2026 by Michigan State University in cooperation with California Farm Bureau. More than 500 farmers representing a broad spectrum of California farm production from 50 of California’s 58 counties responded, answering questions about farmers’ and farm employees’ experiences with immigration enforcement, associated […]
DOL’s Independent Contractor Rule Doesn’t Mean Much in California
The U.S. Dept. of Labor on Feb. 26 proposed rescinding its 2024 rule on independent contractor status and replacing it with an analysis focusing more heavily on two factors: control and opportunity for profit or loss. At the federal level, the test would again center on whether the worker is truly in business for themselves […]
California Supreme Court Addresses Legibility of Arbitration Agreements
The California Supreme Court recently issued an opinion in Fuentes v. Empire Nissan, Inc., addressing whether the illegibility of an employment arbitration agreement can render the agreement unconscionable. In the case, the employee challenged an arbitration agreement presented during the hiring process that was printed in small and blurry font, making a portion of the […]
FELS Tailgate Safety Training: Ladder Safety
Ladder Safety
