A Healdsburg, California, winery agreed to pay $328,077 to 21 workers whom the winery allegedly refused to rehire because they had complained about unsanitary conditions and other workplace issues.
“Mauritson Farms recruited and hired many of the same farmworkers through the H-2A guestworker program in 2019, 2020 and 2021,” ALRB said. “In 2021, several of these workers sought assistance and support from the Santa Rosa-based nonprofit North Bay Jobs with Justice (NBJWJ), which helped them communicate their complaints to Mauritson Farms.”
NBJWJ filed a complaint in March with ALRB, which filed a complaint against Mauritson shortly thereafter.
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As part of the settlement, Mauritson Farms “agreed to compensate the entire crew of H-2A workers who were not rehired for lost wages, as well as to uphold the rights of farmworkers, including workers hired through the H-2A guestworker program, to join together to speak up and seek improvements to their working conditions,” ALRB said.
Mauritson did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. In a statement, the company denied violating state law, characterizing the settlement as a “business decision,” the Riverside Press Democrat reported.
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