California’s New Farmworker Union Law Upheld After Court Tosses Challenge

Appeals Panel Says Wonderful Company Acted Too Soon

FRESNO, Calif. — A California appeals court has rejected a challenge to a new farmworker unionization law, dealing a setback to the Wonderful Company’s effort to overturn the measure. The ruling from a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno leaves the law intact. The statute was designed to make it easier for farmworkers—many of whom are immigrants—to organize.

The law allows workers to show support for a union through signed authorization cards. This process bypasses the traditional secret-ballot election usually held on the employer’s property. Supporters, including the United Farm Workers, say the law is necessary to protect workers who fear retaliation. Wonderful, one of California’s largest agricultural employers, argued the process is unconstitutional.

The Legal Fight

Wonderful filed suit against the state’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board last year. The company sought to block the law shortly after the United Farm Workers submitted enough signed cards to represent more than 600 workers at Wonderful’s grape nursery in Wasco.

The dispute became heated. Wonderful claimed union organizers misled employees into signing the cards and submitted more than 100 signatures from workers who said they were deceived. The union countered that the company illegally pressured employees to withdraw their support. After reviewing the allegations, state labor regulators issued charges against Wonderful.

Those issues were already before the Agricultural Labor Relations Board when Wonderful took the matter to court. A Kern County judge initially paused the board proceedings, but the appeals court later allowed them to move forward. Hearings continued for weeks this year, and the board has not yet ruled on whether the union may represent the nursery’s workers.

Court Rejects Company Challenge

In its opinion, the appeals court sharply criticized Wonderful for attempting to sue before the labor board issued a decision. Justice Rosendo Peña noted that for decades courts have held that employers generally cannot directly challenge a union certification in court unless exceptional circumstances exist. The opinion stated that Wonderful did not show such circumstances.

The ruling means the law remains in effect, even though the dispute at the Wasco nursery may no longer have practical consequences. Wonderful has since shuttered the facility and donated the property to UC Davis, leaving no active workforce to unionize.

Reaction From Both Sides

The United Farm Workers welcomed the decision. Elizabeth Strater, a union vice president, said the ruling confirms that farmworkers in California have enforceable rights under the law and that those rights must be protected.

Wonderful, however, downplayed the significance of the loss. Craig Cooper, the company’s general counsel, said the court’s decision concerns timing rather than the core constitutional issues. He noted that the ruling “explicitly does not address the merits of Wonderful Nurseries’ constitutional challenge.”

What Comes Next

The labor board is still expected to rule on the original allegations involving the Wasco nursery. Even without an active workforce at the site, the board’s findings could influence future disputes as California continues to implement the new unionization rules.