The City of Coachella last week passed a measure mandating agricultural employers pay an additional $4 per hour for at least the next four months.
Grocery, restaurant and pharmacy workers are also included. The ordinance applies to companies based in the city with five or more employees and national businesses with 300 or more employees. Agricultural groups argued the measure would harm family farms and the city’s economic recovery.
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“Labor is by far the highest cost for California family farms,” said Western Growers CEO Dave Puglia in a letter urging city council members not to approve the measure. “There will be unintended consequences, the most likely being a dramatic decline in production.”
