<p>The California State Assembly passed UFW bill SB 25 Monday, August 19th, with a vote that currently stands 41-24. The 41 yes votes were the minimum number required for passage. No Republicans voted for the bill and 12 Democrats abstained. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>For those opposing the passage, hope is not yet lost as it now moves into Governor Jerry Brown's hands. The bill must go back to the house of origin (Senate) for concurrence, an agreement on amendments. Once the bill reaches the Governor's desk he will have 12 days to sign or veto SB 25. If the Governor fails to act the bill automatically becomes law. As the deadline approaches, the industry will be rallying to ensure that their voices are heard, and agricultural workers are able to communicate their message that, "This bill is contradictory to the vision as originally thought for the Agricultural Labor Relations Act," Barry J. Bedwell, President of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, tells AndNowUKnow.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Essentially, SB 25 incentivizes a union to delay bargaining on a renewal contract and rewards a union for such inaction with an automatic trigger sending both parties into mandatory mediation, according to the CGTFL. This would deny due process. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The bill, if signed into law by Governor Brown, would result in the disenfranchisement of farm employees because the contract set by the mediator is not subject to farm employee ratification and the mediator could set the contract terms which will never be voted or agreed upon by the workers themselves. At the same time the bill increases the Evidentiary Threshold to what is called 'clear and convincing evidence' for a court to grant a stay of an order which makes it very difficult to delay any implementation of what the mandatory mediator decides. This is all going to occur without the workers' consent, Barry tells us. The clock is ticking. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we follow SB 25 over the next two weeks.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
