FRESNO (KMJ) — A Fresno based ag-firm says it wants the cover to be lifted on documents which allege a bias at the ALRB.
Gerawan farming reveal that a woman working at the state agency, was being silenced after she detailed what’s described as a “biased pro-union” approach at the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.
That led to a case which is still pending in Sacramento Superior Court, and her complaint “specifically mentions the whistleblower’s involvement in matters related to Gerawan”, according to the local company themselves.
“Two weeks ago, we discovered that a senior field investigator, in the office of the General Counsel of that agency, had filed a complaint in Sacramento Superior Court. She alleges that she had been retaliated against by the board and the three most senior prosecutors in that agency,” explains attorney David Schwarz.
“And the reason why she alleges that is because she claims that she protested against the biased and targeted retaliation by that agency against certain California agricultural employers – including Gerawan.”
The Fresno firm reveals that it’s now seeking an independent investigation as to whether the ALRB misled Sacramento Superior Court, in response to Gerawan’s public record act request for those documents. It alleges that the ALRB deliberately withheld the complaint to conceal the suggested misconduct, and to avoid public scrutiny.
In response, the ALRB issued a statement to KMJ News saying they don’t comment on pending litigation.
Hear the story from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
