In today’s news and commentary, California farmworkers score a win against The Wonderful Company, New York City and Chicago consider requiring companies like Amazon to directly employ delivery drivers, and the Supreme Court takes a case on whether the FAA exempts last-mile drivers from arbitration agreements.
Last week, a three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal threw out a case challenging the constitutionality of a state law allowing farmworkers to unionize via card check. The case originated in an effort by the United Farm Workers (UFW) to be certified as the bargaining representative of over 600 workers employed by The Wonderful Company (known for Wonderful Pistachios, Fiji Water, and POM juice) at a grape nursery in Wasco. After the UFW filed a Majority Support Petition with the state’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), Wonderful filed objections, claiming workers were tricked into signing cards. But before the ALRB could reach a decision, Wonderful filed a case in California state trial court attempting to preempt the agency. Last Tuesday, the decision of the trial court (favorable to Wonderful) was swatted down by the appeals court on the grounds that neither court had any jurisdiction until the ALRB concluded its work. The decision was thus a win for the UFW. However, in the meantime Wonderful has ended its operations at the Wasco nursery.
New York City and Chicago consider innovative new regulations that would require companies like Amazon to...
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