After weeks of pressure and a 24-day march by farmworkers and supporters, California's governor signed legislation he previously hinted he'd veto.
After previously indicating he might veto the measure, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law Wednesday that will make it easier for agricultural laborers to join unions, a hard-fought win for the United Farm Workers.
known as Assembly Bill 2183. Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also joined the chorus.Finally, Newsom got on board. “California’s farmworkers are the lifeblood of our state, and they have the fundamental right to unionize and advocate for themselves in the workplace,” he said in a statement announcing his signature. “California is proud to stand with the next generation of leaders carrying on this movement.
In signing the bill, Newsom also announced that his office, the UFW and the California Labor Federation had come to a “supplemental agreement” that would put a cap on the number of card-check petitions over the next five years and would allow the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to protect worker confidentiality and safety. Those provisions, the governor said, would be “codified into law with a bill next year” that the governor and the union have vowed to support.
It also exerts a powerful symbolic force. This week, dozens of Latino labor leaders and elected officials, including state Sen. María Elena Durazo and Lorena Gonzalez, the head of the California Labor Federation, released a letter urging the governor to sign the bill.