Agricultural labor relations: unfair labor practices.

(1) Existing law establishes the right of agricultural employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations to engage in collective bargaining activities with agricultural employers regarding wages, working conditions, or other aspects of employment. Existing law prohibits a labor organization or its agents from engaging in specified unfair labor practices. This bill would additionally prohibit a labor organization from abandoning or failing to represent a bargaining unit for 3 or more years. This bill would require the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to decertify a labor organization that violates this provision. (2) Existing law specifies the time for filing a declaration by an agricultural employer or a certified labor organization representing agricultural employees that the parties have failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement, thus triggering mandatory mediation. Once triggered, the mediation under these provisions is immediately scheduled at a time and location reasonably accessible to the parties and proceeds for 30 days, with an additional 30-day extension upon the mutual agreement of the parties. This bill would deem members of the bargaining unit to be parties for the purposes of the mediation. Existing law establishes the conditions and time periods under which an agricultural employer, as defined, or a certified labor organization representing agricultural employees may file a declaration with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board stating that the parties have failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement, thus triggering a board order for mandatory mediation. Existing law authorizes a party, within 60 days of the order by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board taking effect, to file an action to enforce the order. Existing law prohibits an order of the board from being stayed during the pendency of any appeal of the order unless the appellant demonstrates that he or she is likely to prevail on the merits and that he or she will be irreparably harmed by implementation of the board's order. This bill would condition the effect and enforcement of an order resulting from the binding mediation on the order being approved by a majority of the members of the affected bargaining unit.