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A group of 20 employees from Wonderful Nurseries in Wasco, California, is seeking to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging a state law that mandates union representation. The workers are opposing the United Farm Workers (UFW) union, which they claim was imposed on them through a coercive "card check" process. They are being represented by attorneys from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
The lawsuit targets the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board's (ALRB) "mandatory mediation and conciliation" (MMC) process. This process follows the ALRB's certification of UFW as the exclusive bargaining representative for these workers. The employees argue that their rights have been violated and wish to protect their freedom of association and avoid forced union dues.
According to the complaint filed by the workers, California labor law allows unions to be certified if they submit authorization cards from a majority of workers, even if there are disputes about how those cards were obtained. The complaint highlights past incidents where UFW agents allegedly used threats and discriminatory practices to collect these cards.
