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State moves to revoke farm labor contractors’ licenses
SACRAMENTO June 30, 2009 9:51am 
• UPDATED: Fixing name of contractor as provided by state • Workers toiled in severe heat • ‘This sends yet another strong message’ The state is trying to revoke the farm labor contractor (FLC) licenses of Joel Salazar Farm Labor of Escondido, and Valley Pride Inc., of Coachella, which were issued citations last month for failure to provide adequate safety measures to their outdoor workers.
California Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet also found in each case that the company made misrepresentations on its application for a renewal of its license.
“This sends yet another strong message to all farm labor contractors statewide,” says Ms. Bradstreet. “If you fail to provide the required level of protection for employees or falsify information on your application you can lose your license.”
Cal/OSHA inspectors say they discovered a crew of 15 Salazar workers planting date palm trees near Thermal in 116 degree heat with less than one gallon of water available for the entire crew.
Cal/OSHA requires fresh drinking water be available for outdoor workers in sufficient quantities so that each worker can drink four 8 oz. glasses per hour, the equivalent of one gallon per worker in an eight-hour shift. Joel Salazar Farm Labor also failed to provide adequate training to their employees in heat illness prevention, the state says.
In addition, the Labor Commissioner found that Joel Salazar Farm Labor made misrepresentations on its license application by failing to disclose prior citations issued by Cal/OSHA but paid in full for health and safety violations that included not having an injury illness prevention program and no complying with the field sanitation requirements.
Cal/OSHA inspectors say they found a crew of two employees of Valley Pride in 108-degree heat near Coachella covering watermelons with no shade available to them. The corporation also failed to disclose on its license application prior citations issued by Cal/OSHA but paid in full for health and safety violations that included not having an injury illness prevention program, no emergency response training and no complying with the field sanitation requirements, the state
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