Farmworkers bill passes legislature, heads to Gov. Newsom's desk
The farmworkers bill aimed to give farm workers more flexibility when it comes to voting in union elections passed the state legislature Monday.
“I applaud my colleague Assemblymember Mark Stone for working diligently to ensure our essential farmworkers have the ability to vote in union elections without fear of intimidation or deportation,” said state Senator Maria Elena Durazo in a press release.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office indicated over the weekend that he was interested in working with farm workers on a solution but could not sign the bill in its current form. The governor had concerns with an untested mail-in election process that he said, “lacked critical provisions to protect the integrity of the election.”
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Senate Republicans sent a letter to the governor arguing there is nothing wrong with the current system of union elections. They claimed the proposed method where a union representative can help a worker fill out a card could be "fraught with opportunities for trickery" and intimidation.
Farmworkers began a vigil outside the state Capitol and said they will stay there until the bill is signed.