Governor Newsom signed the farmworkers union bill. Now what?

To the shock of some labor groups and agricultural leaders across the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a measure aimed at making it easier for farmworkers to unionize in California. California’s agriculture industry is one of the state’s largest economic drivers. It produces about $50 billion in revenue annually by providing more than one-third of the country’s vegetables and more than two-thirds of its fruits and nuts, plus a major contributor to the country’s dairy supply. Advocates note farmworkers are the backbone of the state’s massive economic contributor. The governor originally said he could not sign the bill to make it easier for them to unionize as written, but reversed course following political pressure from labor advocates, celebrities and President Joe Biden.