California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association Archives - North America FarmQuip Magazine

California Governor signs New Order to support workers due to fight Covid-19

Michele Catinari — Wed, 13 May 2020 22:30:06 +0000

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to support California workers from large employers in the food sector industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with two weeks of paid sick leave, filling a gap left by federal relief that had provided similar paid leave benefits for employers with fewer than 500 workers.

Workers in the food sector, including farmworkers, agricultural workers, and those working in grocery stores and fast-food chains, and as delivery drivers, are part of the state’s essential infrastructure workforce and have continued to work to serve Californians.

Unlike federal law though, there is no tax relief or credit associated with this cost. The Executive Order applies to Wage Orders 3, 8, 13, and 14, and certain food facilities (such as grocery stores), and those that deliver food to those food facilities. Additionally, the Executive Order provides health and safety standards to increase worker and customer protection by permitting workers at food facilities to wash their hands every 30 minutes, or as needed, to increase proper sanitation measures.

Source: California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association

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California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association Weighs in Against Workers Comp Proposal

Michele Catinari — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:00:07 +0000

California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association joined several other agricultural organizations in expressing opposition to a potential Governor’s Executive Order to address COVID-19 under workers compensation that could place a massive economic burden on California businesses even in cases where it had nothing to do with work. We are hearing that Governor Newsom is considering the following:

1) Creating a conclusive presumption – i.e., no ability to dispute that an injury was work-related – for anyone deemed “essential” on the attached, very expansive list applying during the COVID-19 response time, including all farmworkers, restaurant workers, workers in food processing, workers in transport, laundry services, cannabis shops, and health care workers. This would allow millions of workers in the state of California to get workers’ compensation funds from employers regardless of whether they contracted COVID-19 at work or otherwise.

2) Extending the definition of an injury to “exposure” to COVID-19 even without symptoms or actual illness. This would create payments from business for individuals with no injury at all.

3) Adding additional costs to business for temporary housing to quarantine workers recommended for quarantine, regardless of actual illness.

4) The ability to have a presumption of injury arise, without any formal testing, if a doctor of any type able to treat in workers’ compensation (chiropractors, orthopedists, podiatrists), concludes someone has COVID-19. This is very similar to the primary treating presumption that tripled rates for business in the early 2000 period.

Unfortunately, one company, State Compensation Insurance Fund, has already adopted some of these provisions in advance of any directive. Nonetheless, the Association remains opposed and will continue to fight this and other regulatory burdens being place on the agricultural industry even during these unbelievably critical times.

Source: California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association

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