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An Alabama-based plant growing company with a location near Watsonville has agreed to settle allegations of unfair labor practices.
Bonnie Plants, LLC, a company that grows produce and flowers in large greenhouses around the country, agreed to pay a total of roughly $115,000 to eight workers who claimed they were illegally laid off after bringing complaints forward.
Company representatives did not immediately return an email requesting comment on Saturday.
The settlement with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, or ALRB, incudes a stipulation that ALRB representatives will visit the site on Green Valley Road, just north of the Watsonville city limits, and verbally inform workers about their rights under the state’s Agricultural Labor Relations Act, as well as post the information at the site for 90 days.
The fired employees had complained that people were drinking on the job, said they were mistreated by supervisors, and took issue with the company’s clocking in policy, which the ALRB did not specify. They filed six labor violation complaints after they were let go for bringing their concerns to management.
The payment covers lost wages and was made instead of offering the employees their jobs back, according to a press release from the ALRB.
The settlement was made in December but was announced by the ALRB on Friday. A representative was not immediately available to explain the gap.
The company also agreed to respect farmworkers’ rights to organize and bring complaints forward without fear of retaliation.
The post Greenhouse growing company near Watsonville settles claims of unfair labor practices appeared first on Local News Matters.
