A saga brewing since 2022 for two local ag workers led to a recent $66,000-plus settlement from their employer.
In early April, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) announced that a complaint filed against Red Blossom Farms in Santa Maria was resolved when the strawberry grower agreed to compensate two individuals for $66,925 in lost wages.
The complaint alleged that Red Blossom refused to rehire the two workers in retaliation. Both workers participated in a previous ALRB investigation of Red Blossom for separate unfair labor practice charges against a crew foreman, according to the state agency.
“This type of allegation that workers were retaliated against after exercising their rights is fairly common,” ALRB Regional Director Jessica Arciniega said in an email interview.
As part of the settlement agreement, ALRB agents will visit Red Blossom Farms worksites later this spring to read a notice about ag workers’ rights, under the Agricultural Labor Relations Act.
A printed version of the notice will be posted at each worksite for at least 60 days, as well as mailed to former employees of Red Blossom.
“The date and locations for the reading of the notice have not yet been set,” Arciniega said. “The ALRB will schedule this with Red Blossom during their peak season and will post notices at the worksites where work is taking place during this time period.”
In mid-April, the Sun reached out to Red Blossom President and Director of Grower Relations David Lawrence, Santa Maria District Manager Adrian Velasco, and Safety Manager Leo Cervantes for comment on the ALRB complaints. The Sun did not receive responses before press time.
Headquartered in Sacramento with field offices along the Central Coast, ALRB “has seen a steady increase in the number of charges received from the Santa Maria area over the last four years,” said Arciniega, whose office is in Oxnard.
In 2024, Santa Maria’s West Coast Berry Farms offered reinstatement to 18 ag workers to resolve retaliation charges filed with ALRB. These charges claimed that the company refused to rehire the workers because they participated in “a work stoppage” during the previous season.
West Coast Berry Farms also agreed to pay a total of $58,600 to compensate lost wages between the 18 workers, according to ALRB.
In 2022, Central Coast Agriculture in Buellton agreed to rehire nine ag workers and pay a total of $60,100 in lost wages. The workers alleged that a couple of weeks after they spoke with their employer about a wage increase, their supervisor ordered them to enter a recently fumigated area with a sign prohibiting entry.
After becoming ill, the nine workers reported the incident to the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. Their employer later fired them, which prompted the workers to file an unfair labor practice charge with ALRB claiming retaliation.
The ALRB’s Santa Barbara County field office is located at 1410 S. Broadway, suite E, Santa Maria. This local division’s phone number is (831) 500-6412. Regional Director Arciniega encourages anyone seeking assistance about resolving unfair labor practices to reach out to the state agency, free of charge.
“There are no costs or fees for those who file claims with our office,” said Arciniega, who added that no percentage of settlements go to ALRB after investigations are resolved.
“The entire amount goes to the workers,” Arciniega said. “The ALRB is a state of California agency designated to uphold the law.”
This article appears in April 23 – April 30, 2026.