As new data points to increased interest in leaving California, the legal and legislative climate is cited by advocates in agriculture and other industries for which relocating may be less viable.
A union farm worker bill recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom has heightened concerns about forced unionization, Jesse Rojas, an agricultural industry consultant and founder of California Farm Workers & Families, told the Northern California Record.
Looking at much of the legislation in California, and organizations that donate to lawmakers here, many have ties to organized labor.
“Let's say the famous AB 5, wanting to shut down independent contractors and [rideshare] drivers – we all know what it really came down to was organized labor movement that did this just to force all these tens of thousands of independent contractors to be open to become union members,” Rojas said. “That legislation was never intended to help the employee, the worker, or even to really hurt the employer. They’re really meant – indirectly or directly – to help a union. They don’t even care to hide it – they put it in plain sight, in the bill language, and it’s only common sense to see that it’s just going to contribute to forced unionization, because it’s at the lowest it's ever been.”
And that means the UFW membership in California is likely at one-half of one percentage point of unionized employees, yet they still have big influence here, Rojas said. “You see it with overtime, you see it with this card check that they claim they passed. And yet they continue to pass pieces of legislation that helps them.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, California’s overall union membership rates have risen under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration. Since 1989, when state data became available, California’s union numbers have been above the U.S. average.
Meanwhile, years of delayed water storage projects have raised costs while impacting what agriculture can be produced.
“Everybody misses that when companies shut down or they move out of state or they have to decrease their operations, the people who are hurt the most are the employees,” Rojas said, adding that it’s particularly unfortunate when Sacramento progressives claim to represent them.
The added costs of California's regulations and legal climate hurts the workers, Rojas said.
California ranks third on the new list of Judicial Hellholes, released last week by the American Tort Reform Association.
“I talk to farmers all the time, and they say, if only the state would help provide me some more water, or if only the state will leave me alone, and allow me to invest X amount of money which would create 500 more jobs,” Rojas said. “That’s also 500 more paychecks that buy more cars at the local dealers and buy more groceries at our stores.”