Leaked @HillaryClinton emails target California Ag, #Gerawan Farming

Hillary Clinton agreed to help United Farm Workers in its conflict with Fresno-based Gerawan Farming, according to internal campaign emails exposed this week by WikiLeaks.

A Feb. 22 email explains the pledge that Clinton made as part of a deal for UFW’s political endorsement against then-party rival Bernie Sanders.

The email stated she earned their endorsement by the end of the meeting.

The email was from Lorella Praeli, Clinton’s Latino outreach director, to traveling press secretary Nick Merrill.

In a 7 p.m. email on Feb. 21, Merrill said Clinton had just met with farmworkers for an hour in Palo Alto and that it was a positive experience.

Praeli expanded the next day with highlights from the meeting, at the end of which Clinton earned UFW’s endorsement.

“She was asked to help in the dispute between the UFW and CA-based Gerawan Farming,” Praeli wrote. “She said (she’d) do everything possible.

“After the meeting, she had a private conversation with Arturo and expressed caution b/c of campaign.” Arturo Rodriguez is president of UFW.

During the meeting, Clinton also discussed her support for comprehensive immigration reform, protection for undocumented immigrants through executive actions like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, overtime for farmworkers in California and access to health care for the undocumented.

Dan Gerawan, co-owner of Gerawan Farming, said: “When the UFW trades political endorsements for ‘help’ to suppress worker ballots, the UFW calls it First Amendment political speech. When Gerawan workers petition the ALRB (California Agriculture Labor Relations Board) for the right to vote, the UFW calls it an unfair labor practice.”

Read the whole story at: Leaked Clinton emails include pledge to help UFW in fight with Gerawan Farming – Fresno Bee

UFW dealt big setback by judges

Last week, the 5th District Court of Appeal handed Gerawan and its loyalists a major victory, declaring that the ALRB erred by refusing to consider whether the UFW had given up representational rights.

Even more importantly, it ruled that the mandatory mediation law is unconstitutional because it “violates equal protection principles and constitutes an improper delegation of legislative authority.”

If upheld by the state Supreme Court, the unanimous appellate court decision is an immense blow to the UFW, which has failed to achieve the industrywide unionization envisioned in 1975 when Jerry Brown signed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act.

One would think that the Gerawan dispute could be settled by simply having another election among current workers.

In fact, such an election was held, but the ALRB has refused to count ballots because of allegations that the company interfered with voting. Gerawan says the charges were trumped up to block decertification.

Meanwhile, Brown, now in his second stint as governor, has put some distance between himself and the UFW.

via UFW dealt big setback by judges.