SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the last 24 days, Teresa Romero led a march in the summer heat from Delano in Kern County to Sacramento.
She's the first woman president of United Farm Workers (UFW). Activists Cesar Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong and other prominent organizers started the labor union in 1962.
"Anything we want to get for farm workers; it takes time and a lot of effort," said Romero. "United Farm Workers was established to protect farm workers, not only with union representation, but other needs, like legislative work."
Romero, along with thousands of farm workers and their supporters, took a 335-mile journey to the California State Capitol. The 'March for the Governor's Signature,' started on Aug. 3 and ended Aug. 26.
The goal of the march was to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Assembly Bill 2183. Assembly member Mark Stone introduced the bill. He says it would allow farm workers to vote by-mail, if they choose, instead of in-person in union elections.
"AB 2183 would give farm workers the ability to make decisions at home, on their own, and on their own time," said Stone. "Farm workers typically vote on a grower's site, under the watchful eyes and influence of that grower or the labor contractor, so there's a real question of whether that vote is their own, absent of coercion or pressure."
Dozens of agriculture grower associations and local Chambers of Commerce are against the bill, including:
- African American Farmers of California
- Agricultural Council of California
- Association of California Egg Farmers
- California Association of Winegrape Growers
- California Citrus Mutual
- California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association
- California Farm Labor Contractor Association
- California Food Producers
- California Fresh Fruit Association
- California Grain & Feed Association
- California Grocers Association
- California Manufacturers & Technology Association
- California Pear Growers Association
- California Retailers Association
- California Restaurant Association
- California Seed Association
- California Strawberry Commission
- Construction Employers’ Association
- Family Winemakers of California
- Far West Equipment Dealers Association
- Grower-Shipper Association of Central California
- Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties
- Housing Contractors of California
- Milk Producers Council
- National Federation of Independent Business
- Nisei Farmers League
- Official Police Garage Association of Los Angeles
- Ventura County Agricultural Association
- Western Agricultural Processors Association
- Western Growers Association
- Wine Institute
The California Chamber of Commerce put the legislation on its "Job Killers" list, saying the bill "limits an employee's ability to independently and privately vote for unionization in the workplace, by essentially eliminating a secret ballot election and replacing it with the submission of representation cards signed by over 50% of the employees, which leaves employees susceptible to coercion and manipulation by labor organizations."
Romero disagrees with critics, saying change is needed now more than ever.
"Protection for farm workers is key," Romero said. "They are mostly undocumented, family members work at the same farm, and the moment that they start saying that they want a union or asking for their rights, they are fired. That cannot continue to happen."
Gov. Newsom vetoed a similar bill last September. The UFW, along with Assembly member Stone, is still working with the Governor's office to ensure the new bill becomes law.
But Gov. Newsom could possibly veto AB 2183. In a statement sent to ABC10, the Governor's office says, in full:
"Governor Newsom is eager to sign legislation that expands opportunity for agricultural workers to come together and be represented, and he supports changes to state law to make it easier for these workers to organize. Our goal is to establish a system for fair elections—requiring employers to abide by rules that guarantee union access and provide key enforceable protections to ensure a fair election. If employers fail to abide by those rules, they would be subject to organizing under a card-check process. However, we cannot support an untested mail-in election process that lacks critical provisions to protect the integrity of the election, and is predicated on an assumption that government cannot effectively enforce laws. We welcome an agreement with UFW on the ground-breaking legislation the administration has proposed."
