United Farm Workers has unionized eight farms under 2023 CA law. Here’s where
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- State records show UFW certified workers at eight California farms via 2023 law.
- Three employers have ratified contracts; others remain in bargaining or mediation.
- Law limits certifications to 75 workplaces, faces legal challenges
Agricultural workers at eight California-based growers, packing houses and greenhouses have unionized since a 2023 state law made it easier for farmworkers to vote for union representation.
Between October 2023 through November 2025, the Agriculture Labor Relations Board has certified the United Farm Workers to represent hundreds of workers statewide, according to state records.
These workplaces are at various stages of the bargaining process.
The first company to be unionized under the new law was at the Newman-based DMB Packing Corp. (dba The DiMare Company) in November 2023. The union and the company have since secured a collective bargaining agreement, according to UFW spokesperson Antonio De Loera-Brust.
The 2023 law made it easier for farmworkers to vote for union representation by signing authorization cards, a process referred to as a “majority support petition” or “card check.” Previously, under the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, farmworkers could only vote for union representation in secret ballot elections conducted on their employer’s property.
Agricultural groups have been opposed to the law and are fighting it in court. Meanwhile, the law’s supporters say farmworkers should be able to vote at home to avoid intimidation in the workplace.
Two more workplaces, Ho Sai Gai Farms, Inc. and Vieira Agricultural Enterprises, LLC, have also secured collective bargaining agreements, he said.
Others, like Mucci Farms, are in the process of pending administrative procedures, state records show.
Lawyers for Olive Hills Nursery in Fallbrook said in a Dec. 2 federal court hearing that the company is in the mandatory mediation and conciliation process.
One of the most controversial, high-profile fights has centered on Wonderful Nurseries, LLC, the Wasco-based grapevine nursery owned by ag giant The Wonderful Company. Since the UFW was certified to represent nearly 600 workers at the site in March 2024, the company and about a hundred workers have contested the certification in protests, unfair labor charges and legal challenges. Wonderful and some workers allege the union “tricked” workers to signing union support petition cards when it helped workers apply for a separate $600 USDA pandemic relief assistance; the union denies this allegation. Meanwhile, the UFW alleges the company and its affiliates paid workers to attend an anti-union protest, which the company denies.
On Nov. 25, California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal issued an opinion directing the Kern County Superior Court to dismiss the Wonderful Nurseries LLC lawsuit against the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.
A federal judge is expected to rule on a hearing to dismiss a federal lawsuit against the state over the law.
Under the law, which is set to expire in 2028, a maximum of 75 workplaces can be certified via card check.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "United Farm Workers has unionized eight farms under 2023 CA law. Here’s where."
