A Healdsburg winery will pay $328,000 in lost wages to 21 agricultural workers to settle a complaint filed with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) regarding allegations they didn’t rehire the workers because the workers complained about poor working conditions including dirty restrooms and mistreatment by a foreman.
In a statement on Monday, the state ALRB said several of the workers in 2021 sought assistance and support from the Santa Rosa-based nonprofit North Bay Jobs with Justice to communicate their concerns to Mauritson Farms, Inc.
During the subsequent season in 2022, the winery continued using crews from the H-2A guestworker program but did not rehire any of the H-2A employees who worked during the prior season, including those who complained about poor conditions.
The North Bay Jobs nonprofit then filed a claim with the ALRB alleging that the winery’s failure to rehire these workers was in retaliation for their complaints. Upon investigation, ALRB found that the winery had indeed violated California labor law.
The ALRB’s director, Kevin Esterling, said the settlement agreement “sends a clear message to employers that they cannot retaliate against workers who exercise their rights,” and indicated that the winery also decided to post a notice informing workers of their rights under the California labor law at its worksites.
The case is the latest scenario where the ALRB found that employers retaliate against workers for exercising their rights under labor laws. In 2022, the ALRB ordered a San Diego-area winery to pay $1.2 million to 15 workers who were fired after they complained about working conditions.
The ALRB is a state agency that enforces California’s labor laws, including the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which guarantees agricultural workers the right to form unions, bargain collectively and engage in protected concerted bargaining.
