General Counsel Julie Montgomery told the Agricultural Labor Relations Board on the record that the agency reached a settlement with Tauzer Apiaries Inc. after a charge alleging the employer required workers to sign an unlawful confidentiality agreement.

The settlement, Montgomery said, rescinds specific confidentiality language the general counsel said would have prevented employees from retaining wage and employment records and from cooperating with the ALRB or other enforcement entities. Montgomery said the employer agreed to equitable remedies including a reading of a notice to employees about their rights under the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, mailing notices to past and current employees, and posting the notice on employer property.

Why it matters: confidentiality provisions that require employees to surrender personnel or wage records can impede investigations and workers’ ability to document employment history. The ALRB’s agreement with Tauzer Apiaries resolves a charge filed with the board and includes remedies intended to restore affected workers’ access to records and information about their rights.

Montgomery said the charge was filed Aug. 14, 2024, by a person who performed beekeeping work in Yolo County and that the settlement was handled out of Region 2. She described the terms to the board and credited regional staff for securing the outcome. "We reached a settlement in which the company agreed not to enforce aspects of the definition in their agreement of confidential information," Montgomery told the board.

Montgomery also reported on the general counsel’s outreach work this summer, saying staff distributed materials and participated in community events across California to raise awareness of worker rights and ALRB services. She listed events and partnerships including outreach at the Oaxacan Community Shed hosted by the Center for Farmworker Families in Watsonville; tabling with the Mexican consulate office in San Francisco; Spanish-language interviews on programs including La Ora Mixteca and La Cooperativa Campesina; an appearance on KBBF radio in Sonoma County; participation in a Campesinos and Agencies Mobilizing Policy Opportunities (CAMPO) task-force meeting; and distribution of materials at a Latino Madera Club food distribution in Madera County.

Montgomery emphasized that staff continue to attend community events even though the number of events has declined, saying those efforts help ensure workers know their rights and how to contact the ALRB. "We found that although there are fewer events being held, there are still a number of community events where people are coming forward, and our staff is present there to make sure people are aware of the rights," she said.

The board did not take a formal vote on the settlement during the open session; Montgomery reported the agreement and offered to answer questions from board members, who did not raise objections during the report.

The board’s next meetings were announced at adjournment: a special closed-session meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 10 a.m., and the next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 10 a.m.