California growers investing in compost to boost soil fertility on the farm may soon reap additional benefits in the form of a tax credit. Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) joined Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to share how this promising CAWG-sponsored bill is currently making its way through legislature. Watch this brief video to learn more.
Tag: Ag Legislation
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Top 2019 Ag Issues – California Fresh Fruit Association
George Radanovich, California Fresh Fruit Association President The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) recently announced their Top Issues for 2019. Members were surveyed in December 2018 and ranked the top issues for CFFA to concentrate on in 2019.
President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, George Radanovich, stated, “As in years past, our membership has given us strong direction in identifying their top priorities for 2019. The issues of labor, water, and food safety, will lead our list of issues,” said Radanovich. “CFFA will continue to serve as the primary liaison between regulatory and legislative authorities by acting as the unified voice for our members on these and many other issues.”
Here are the results:
- Federal Immigration Policies Addressing Current and Future Labor Force
- Increasing Wage Costs (Base Wages/OT Thresholds)
- Water Supply Availability and Curtailment
- Immigration Enforcement (ICE)
- Groundwater Management Requirements (S.G.M.A.)
- Labor Regulatory Compliance
- Water Quality Requirements and Clean Drinking Water Liability
- Federal and State Food Safety Compliance Requirements
- Health Care Costs (Policy Costs/Paid Sick Leave)
- Plant Health Materials (Pesticide, Herbicides, Fungicides, etc.)As always, it will be the Association’s goal to work on behalf of its members to address these issues and many more, in an effort to create a better working environment for their businesses.
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
The California Fresh Fruit Association’s purpose is to advocate for its members on a daily basis, which is made possible through the voluntary support of growers, shippers, marketers and associate members. The organization was created in 1936, mainly to negotiate railroad rates for shippers, and has since evolved into filling the industry’s need for public policy representation. Visit www.cafreshfruit.com or call (559) 226- 6330 to learn more.
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New Law Requires California AG Employers to Provide Sexual Harassment Training
By Andrew J. Hoag, Fisher Phillips LLP
New legislation will require almost every employer in the State of California, including agricultural employers, to provide sexual harassment training to all employees—including temporary and seasonal employees.
By January 1, 2020, all employers of five or more employees must provide at least 2two hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees and at least one hour of sexual harassment training to all employees. Effectively, this means that in 2019, most employers in the state will need to provide compliant sexual harassment training that meets certain criteria to all of their employees. Previously, mandatory harassment training was limited to larger employers (employing 50 or more employees) and to larger employers’ supervisors.
The new law requires affected employers to train all of their employees by January 1, 2020; to train all employees within six6 months of hire; and to train every employee every two years thereafter.
The law also requires that beginning January 1, 2020, employers of migrant or seasonal agricultural workers provide compliant training to new nonsupervisorial workers at the time of hire and all nonsupervisorial employees at least once every two years. Effectively, this means that agricultural employers may need to provide compliant sexual harassment training to seasonal workers before those employees commence work.
The trainings have very specific requirements, including practical examples of harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation presented by trainers or educators with knowledge and expertise in those areas. Accordingly, while the new law requires the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to develop or obtain training courses on the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, employers may wish to contact counsel to provide Code-compliant trainings.
While the penalty for violation of the new training requirements is not severe—the DEFEH may seek an order requiring noncompliant employers comply with the training requirements—an employer’s failure to comply with the law could have significant legal implications if an employee files a claim for sexual harassment or failure to prevent harassment. Accordingly, agricultural employers should work with counsel to ensure compliant trainings and agricultural employers should maintain regular schedules to train all employees every two years, newly-hired employees within six months, and newly-promoted (to supervisory positions) employees within six months.
Andrew Hoag, Fisher & Phillips
photo: Mark SavageAndrew J. Hoag is an associate with labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips in its Los Angeles office. He may be reached at ahoag@fisherphillips.com.
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George Soares Addresses Legislative & Regulatory Burden on CA Farmers
Special Thanks to This Video’s Sponsor Amidst all the political and regulatory turmoil growers deal with in California, they continue trying to do what they do best, and Ag lobbyists like George Soares who spoke at the Annual Pistachio Conference, are doing their best to relay the grower message in Sacramento to limit and reduce the overwhelming legislative and regulatory burdens placed on them. Watch Soares’ brief interview here and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
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