The United Farm Workers (UFW) won a major legislative victory yesterday, as the California State Assembly passed a bill establishing binding arbitration for farm labor contract negotiations. Already passed by the State Senate (see WIT for July 8, 2002), the legislation now goes to Democratic Governor Gray Davis who has so far remained ambivalent on the bill as he attempts to maintain union support without alienating business groups in his bid for reelection. According to the UFW and its supporters in the California Legislature, binding arbitration would put an end to the stonewalling tactics of California growers that have led to a huge discrepancy between the number of unions elected and the number of contracts negotiated since California?s farm workers gained the right to organize in 1975.
See CARL INGRAM, Los Angeles Times, August 5, 2002