In the wake of the 2024 Cesar Chavez Day celebrations, the United Farm Workers advocacy organization had successfully acquired representation permissions for around 640 farm workers for Wonderful Nurseries in California. Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, two giants in the farm worker rights movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s and co-founders of the UFW, would consider this as a success toward equitable labor rights.
However, there is major push back and allegations against the union force coming from California’s wealthiest farming family, Wonderful Nurseries.
Wonderful Nurseries, which is North America’s largest grapevine nurseries, is accusing UFW organizers of misleading farm workers to unionize. UFW vehemently disagrees, arguing that signature acquisitions were not fraudulent and that workers who signed up to be represented by their union understood what they were signing up for.
So, what happened? Well, let’s just say that this battle has been a long time coming. UFW’s and Wonderful Nurseries’ historical bickering has led to this moment. Neither plan to go down without a fight.
The United Farm Workers union began in the early 1960s with a purpose to organize farm workers’ toward activism. Within UFW, farm workers organize to bring awareness to growers and other farm workers of inequitable treatment in the workplace. The goal of each organization is to reach progressive agreements with growers for fair treatment and pay for farm workers while they work for agricultural industries. UFW has prided itself on being the leader in immigration reform and a voice for farm workers at the U.S. Capitol for legislative and regulatory reforms.
When the federal government offered one-time $600 relief payments through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant Program, UFW championed this opportunity to farm workers. However, Wonderful Nurseries shares that UFW used this payment to entice its employees to attend UFW meetings and eventually groom workers to sign union cards.
“We place the highest priority on the protection of farmworkers, which is why UFW should be held fully accountable for their ‘wholesale exploitation’ of workers in this process,” said Rob Yraceburu, president of Wonderful Nurseries. “Agricultural Labor Relations Board should have never certified the vote, given the allegations of fraud they knew about.”
The company has reported and submitted 148 written declarations confirming that the employees were misled. Employees shared testimonies about UFW organizers acting as Wonderful employees, even sharing that they would have never taken the $600 if it meant they were also signing up for the union.
However, UFW argues that Wonderful Nurseries is the one being fraudulent, engaging with employees of the company to write false statements about what had occurred at UFW meetings in order to delegitimize their work. UFW maintains that all the cards presented to workers were clear in language and presentation. UFW explained fully the signing process and outcomes, and it accused the company of manipulating workers to claim otherwise.
UFW has declined to comment on the factual evidence it has proving its claims, arguing that legality of sharing evidence prematurely to news sources is hindering it from sharing more.
In a statement from Victor Narro, project director for the UCLA Labor Center and a national expert on immigrant rights, he said that this controversy is not an isolated incident with Wonderful Nurseries. He states that industries across the U.S. will try to delegitimize union elections by saying workers were coerced or “misled” into signing.
“But the process itself will determine whether those claims are true,” Narro said.
Who are we to believe?
Well, if UFW is found to have facilitated farm workers at Wonderful Nurseries to sign-up for the union without their actual knowledge of the process, the organization’s credibility will take a huge ding — lowering its already declining membership. However, if Wonderful actually is holding workers’ jobs over their heads and forcing them to lie about what UFW truly did to help them become union members, then Wonderful could receive huge financial penalties and legal battles.
Whose intentions do we understand? From our perspective and lived experience? As a farmer, an employer in the industry, as a worker, as a consumer? How do we challenge our perspectives in this issue to see the other side of the conversation?
At this point, it may be difficult to think about this issue and not pick a side. But, to be informed is to see both sides, even if the side we would choose supports our narratives back in our corners. By knowing each side of the unionization issues in agriculture, we are able to be stronger advocates for our own sides and argue the validity stronger. We can also be convinced of maybe another perspective that could actually benefit our corners in the long run. As we wait and watch this unfold, that is our challenge. To unpack our perspective and theirs in hopes for a clearer understanding behind each issue facing United States agriculture.
Bre Holbert is a past National FFA President and studied agriculture science and education at California State-Chico. “Two ears to listen is better than one mouth to speak. Two ears allow us to affirm more people, rather than letting our mouth loose to damage people’s story by speaking on behalf of others.”
