Gerawan Farming v. Agricultural Labor Rel. Bd.

**What Happened** Gerawan Farming challenged a California law that allowed the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to impose a collective bargaining agreement on the company through a process called "mandatory mediation and conciliation" (MMC). The company argued this process was unfair and violated their constitutional rights. **What the Court Decided** The California Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Gerawan Farming. The court found that the MMC process violated equal protection principles because it treated agricultural employers differently from other employers without good reason. The court also determined that the law improperly gave the board too much power to make decisions that should be made by the legislature. As a result, the court threw out the board's order that would have forced the company to accept a union contract. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling significantly weakens one tool that agricultural workers could use to secure union contracts. The MMC process was designed to help farmworkers obtain collective bargaining agreements even when negotiations stalled. With this process ruled unconstitutional, agricultural workers may find it harder to establish union representation and negotiate for better wages, working conditions, and benefits through the traditional bargaining process.