CHAPTER 5. Labor Representatives and Elections [1156. - 1159.]

Cal. Labor Code - LAB 5.

in effect

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156. Section 1156.

(a) Representatives designated by the submission of authorization cards or other proof of support or selected by a secret ballot by the majority of the agricultural employees in the bargaining unit shall be the exclusive representatives of all the agricultural employees in such unit for the purpose of collective bargaining with respect to rates of pay, wages, hours of employment, or other conditions of employment. Any individual agricultural employee or a group of agricultural employees shall have the right at any time to present grievances to their agricultural employer and to have such grievances adjusted, without the intervention of the bargaining representative, as long as the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of a collective-bargaining contract or agreement then in effect, if the bargaining representative has been given opportunity to be present at such adjustment. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.2. Section 1156.2.

The bargaining unit shall be all the agricultural employees of an employer. If the agricultural employees of the employer are employed in two or more noncontiguous geographical areas, the board shall determine the appropriate unit or units of agricultural employees in which a secret ballot election shall be conducted.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.3. Section 1156.3.

(a) A petition that is either signed by, or accompanied by authorization cards signed by, a majority of the currently employed employees in the bargaining unit may be filed by an agricultural employee or group of agricultural employees, or any individual or labor organization acting on behalf of those agricultural employees, in accordance with any rules and regulations prescribed by the board. The petition shall allege all of the following: (1) That the number of agricultural employees currently employed by the employer named in the petition, as determined from the employer’s payroll immediately preceding the filing of the petition, is not less than 50 percent of the employer’s peak agricultural employment for the current calendar year. (2) That no valid election pursuant to this section has been conducted among the agricultural employees of the employer named in the petition within the 12 months immediately preceding the filing of the petition. (3) That no labor organization is currently certified as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the agricultural employees of the employer named in the petition. (4) That the petition is not barred by an existing collective bargaining agreement. (b) Upon receipt of a signed petition, as described in subdivision (a), the board shall immediately investigate the petition. If the board has reasonable cause to believe that a bona fide question of representation exists, it shall direct a representation election by secret ballot to be held, upon due notice to all interested parties and within a maximum of seven days of the filing of the petition. If, at the time the election petition is filed, a majority of the employees in a bargaining unit are engaged in a strike, the board shall, with all due diligence, attempt to hold a secret ballot election within 48 hours of the filing of the petition. The holding of elections under strike circumstances shall take precedence over the holding of other secret ballot elections. (c) The board shall make available at any election held under this chapter ballots printed in English and Spanish. The board may also make available at the election ballots printed in any other language as may be requested by an agricultural labor organization or any agricultural employee eligible to vote under this part. Every election ballot, except ballots in runoff elections where the choice is between labor organizations, shall provide the employee with the opportunity to vote against representation by a labor organization by providing an appropriate space designated “No Labor Organizations.” (d) Any other labor organization shall be qualified to appear on the ballot if it presents authorization cards signed by at least 20 percent of the employees in the bargaining unit at least 24 hours prior to the election. (e) (1) Within five days after an election, any person may file with the board a signed petition asserting that allegations made in the petition filed pursuant to subdivision (a) were incorrect, asserting that the board improperly determined the geographical scope of the bargaining unit, or objecting to the conduct of the election or conduct affecting the results of the election. (2) Upon receipt of a petition under this subdivision, the board, upon due notice, shall conduct a hearing to determine whether the election shall be certified. This hearing may be conducted by an officer or employee of a regional office of the board. The officer may not make any recommendations with respect to the certification of the election. The board may refuse to certify the election if it finds, on the record of the hearing, that any of the assertions made in the petition filed pursuant to this subdivision are correct, that the election was not conducted properly, or that misconduct affecting the results of the election occurred. The board shall certify the election unless it determines that there are sufficient grounds to refuse to do so. (f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the board refuses to certify an election because of employer misconduct that, in addition to affecting the results of the election, would render slight the chances of a new election reflecting the free and fair choice of employees, the labor organization shall be certified as the exclusive bargaining representative for the bargaining unit. (g) If no petition is filed pursuant to subdivision (e) within five days of the election, the board shall certify the election. (h) The board shall decertify a labor organization if either of the following occur: (1) The Civil Rights Department finds that the labor organization engaged in discrimination on any basis listed in subdivision (a) of Section 12940 of the Government Code, as those bases are defined in Sections 12926 and 12926.1 of the Government Code, except as otherwise provided in Section 12940 of the Government Code. (2) The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds, pursuant to Section 2000e-5 of Title 42 of the United States Code, that the labor organization engaged in discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or any other arbitrary or invidious classification in violation of Subchapter VI of Chapter 21 of Title 42 of the United States Code during the period of the labor organization’s present certification. (i) (1) With regard to elections held pursuant to this section or Section 1156.7, the following time limits apply for action by the board, and agents acting pursuant to authority delegated by the board: (A) (i) The board shall, within 21 days of the filing of election objections or the submittal of evidence in support of challenges to ballots, evaluate the election objections or challenged ballots and issue a decision determining which, if any, must be set for hearing. (ii) The hearing on election objections or challenged ballots set pursuant to clause (i) shall be scheduled to commence within 28 days of the date of the board’s decision to set a hearing. (B) The investigative hearing examiner (IHE) appointed pursuant to Section 1145 shall issue a recommended decision within 60 days of the close of the hearing on the matters described in subparagraph (A). Upon mutual agreement of the parties, the IHE may extend the time period to issue a recommended decision by 30 days. (C) The board shall issue a decision regarding the election objections or challenged ballots within 45 days of receipt of any exceptions to the decision of the IHE. (2) The board may consolidate a challenged ballot hearing with a hearing on objections to an election. (3) The board may grant extensions on the time limits specified in this subdivision upon a showing of good cause or by stipulation of all affected parties.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.4. Section 1156.4.

Recognizing that agriculture is a seasonal occupation for a majority of agricultural employees, and wishing to provide the fullest scope for employees’ enjoyment of the rights included in this part, the board shall not consider a representation petition or a petition to decertify as timely filed unless the employer’s payroll reflects 50 percent of the peak agricultural employment for such employer for the current calendar year for the payroll period immediately preceding the filing of the petition. In this connection, the peak agricultural employment for the prior season shall alone not be a basis for such determination, but rather the board shall estimate peak employment on the basis of acreage and crop statistics which shall be applied uniformly throughout the State of California and upon all other relevant data.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.5. Section 1156.5.

(a) The board shall not direct an election in any bargaining unit where a valid election has been held in the immediately preceding 12-month period. (b) This section shall be operative January 1, 2028.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.6. Section 1156.6.

The board shall not direct an election in any bargaining unit which is represented by a labor organization that has been certified within the immediately preceding 12-month period or whose certification has been extended pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1155.2.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.7. Section 1156.7.

(a) No collective-bargaining agreement executed prior to the effective date of this chapter shall bar a petition for an election. (b) A collective-bargaining agreement executed by an employer and a labor organization certified as the exclusive bargaining representative of his employees pursuant to this chapter shall be a bar to a petition for an election among such employees for the term of the agreement, but in any event such bar shall not exceed three years, provided that both the following conditions are met: (1) The agreement is in writing and executed by all parties thereto. (2) It incorporates the substantive terms and conditions of employment of such employees. (c) Upon the filing with the board by an employee or group of employees of a petition signed by 30 percent or more of the agricultural employees in a bargaining unit represented by a certified labor organization which is a party to a valid collective-bargaining agreement, requesting that such labor organization be decertified, the board shall conduct an election by secret ballot pursuant to the applicable provisions of this chapter, and shall certify the results to such labor organization and employer. However, such a petition shall not be deemed timely unless it is filed during the year preceding the expiration of a collective-bargaining agreement which would otherwise bar the holding of an election, and when the number of agricultural employees is not less than 50 percent of the employer’s peak agricultural employment for the current calendar year. (d) Upon the filing with the board of a signed petition by an agricultural employee or group of agricultural employees, or any individual or labor organization acting in their behalf, accompanied by authorization cards signed by a majority of the employees in an appropriate bargaining unit, and alleging all the conditions of paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), the board shall immediately investigate such petition and, if it has reasonable cause to believe that a bona fide question of representation exists, it shall direct an election by secret ballot pursuant to the applicable provisions of this chapter: (1) That the number of agricultural employees currently employed by the employer named in the petition, as determined from his payroll immediately preceding the filing of the petition, is not less than 50 percent of his peak agricultural employment for the current calendar year. (2) That no valid election pursuant to this section has been conducted among the agricultural employees of the employer named in the petition within the 12 months immediately preceding the filing thereof. (3) That a labor organization, certified for an appropriate unit, has a collective-bargaining agreement with the employer which would otherwise bar the holding of an election and that this agreement will expire within the next 12 months.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1156.37. Section 1156.37.

(a) A labor organization may become the exclusive representative for the agricultural employees of an appropriate bargaining unit for purposes of collective bargaining with respect to rates of pay, wages, hours of employment, or other conditions of employment by filing a Majority Support Petition with the board alleging that a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit wish to be represented by that organization. The petition shall describe the geographical area that constitutes the unit claimed to be appropriate and shall be accompanied by proof of majority support, through authorization cards, petitions, or other appropriate proof of majority support. Only labor organizations that have filed LM-2 forms for the preceding two years with the federal government and have a collective bargaining agreement covering agricultural employees as defined in Section 1140.4 as of the effective date of this section may file a Majority Support Petition. (b) A labor organization that wishes to represent a particular bargaining unit, as described in Section 1156.2, may be certified as that unit’s bargaining representative by submitting to the board a Majority Support Petition. The petition shall allege all of the following: (1) That the number of agricultural employees currently employed by the employer named in the Majority Support Petition, as determined from the employer’s payroll immediately preceding the filing of the Majority Support Petition, is not less than 50 percent of the employer’s peak agricultural employment for the current calendar year. (2) That no valid election has been conducted among the agricultural employees of the employer named in the Majority Support Petition within the 12 months immediately preceding the filing of the petition. (3) That the Majority Support Petition is not barred by an existing collective bargaining agreement. (c) The Majority Support Petition described in subdivision (b) shall be supported by a proof of majority support, through authorization cards, petitions, or other appropriate proof of majority support of the currently employed employees, as determined from the employer’s payroll immediately preceding the filing of the Majority Support Petition. The showing of support shall be submitted together with the Majority Support Petition. (d) A labor organization submitting a Majority Support Petition shall personally serve the petition on the employer on the same day that the petition is filed with the board. Within 48 hours after the petition is served, the employer shall file with the board, and personally serve upon the labor organization that filed the petition, its response to the petition. As part of the response, the employer shall provide a complete and accurate list of the full names, current street addresses, telephone numbers, job classifications, and crew or department of all currently employed employees in the bargaining unit employed as of the payroll period immediately preceding the filing of the petition. The employer shall organize the employees’ names and addresses and other information by crew or department and shall provide the list to the board and petitioning labor organization in hardcopy and electronic format. The employee’s first name, middle name or initial, last name, address, city, state, ZIP Code, telephone number, classification, and crew or department shall be organized into separate columns. Immediately upon receiving the employer response and employee list, the board shall provide the response and employee list by hardcopy and electronic copy to the labor organization that filed the Majority Support Petition. (e) (1) Upon receipt of a Majority Support Petition, the board shall immediately commence an investigation regarding the validity of the petition and the proof of support submitted. Within five days of receipt of the petition, the board shall make an administrative determination as to whether the requirements set forth in subdivision (b) are met by the petition and whether the labor organization submitting the petition has provided proof of majority support. In making this determination, the board shall compare the names on the proof of support submitted by the labor organization to the names on the list of currently employed employees provided by the employer. The board shall ignore discrepancies between the employee’s name listed on the proof of support and the employee’s name on the employer’s list if the preponderance of the evidence, such as the employee’s address, the name of the employee’s foreman or forewoman, or evidence submitted by the labor organization or employee shows that the employee who signed the proof of support is the same person as the employee on the employer’s list. (2) The board shall return proof of majority support that it finds invalid to the labor organization that filed the Majority Support Petition, with an explanation as to why each proof of support was found to be invalid. To protect the confidentiality of the employees whose names are on authorization cards or a petition, the board’s determination of whether a particular proof of support is valid shall be final and not subject to appeal or review. (3) If the board determines that the labor organization has submitted proof of majority support and met the requirements set forth in this section, it shall immediately certify the labor organization as the exclusive bargaining representative of the employees in the bargaining unit. An employer’s duty to bargain with the labor organization commences immediately after the labor organization is certified. (4) If the board determines that the labor organization has not submitted the requisite proof of majority support, the board shall notify the labor organization of the deficiency and grant the labor organization 30 days from the date it is notified to submit additional support. (f) (1) Within five days after the board certifies a labor organization through a majority support election, any person may file with the board a petition objecting to the certification on one or more of the following grounds: (A) Allegations in the Majority Support Petition were false. (B) The board improperly determined the geographical scope of the bargaining unit. (C) The majority support election was conducted improperly. (D) Improper conduct affected the results of the majority support election. (2) Upon receipt of a petition objecting to certification, the board may administratively rule on the petitioner’s objections or may choose to conduct a hearing to rule on the petitioner’s objections. If the board decides to conduct a hearing on the objections, it shall mail a notice of the time and place of the hearing to the petitioner and the labor organization whose certification is being challenged. The board shall conduct the hearing within 14 days of the filing of an objection, unless an extension is agreed to by the labor organization. If the board finds at the hearing that any of the allegations in the petition of the grounds set forth in paragraph (1) are true, the board shall revoke the certification issued under subdivision (e). (3) The filing of a petition objecting to a majority support election certification shall not diminish the duty to bargain or delay the running of the 90-day period or 60-day period set forth in subdivision (a) of Section 1164. (g) The board shall not permit the filing of any other election petition once a Majority Support Petition is filed until the board determines whether the labor organization filing the Majority Support Petition should be certified. (h) Once a labor organization has filed a Majority Support Petition, no other Majority Support Petition shall be considered by the board with the same agricultural employer until the board determines whether the labor organization that filed the pending Majority Support Petition should be certified. However, the board may consider a second Majority Support Petition if the second petition alleges that the first petition was filed because of the employer’s unlawful assistance, support, creation, or domination of the labor organization that filed the first petition. In those cases, the board shall expedite its investigation of the matter and render a decision on certification within three months of the filing of the first petition. If the board finds that a labor organization was unlawfully assisted, supported, created, or dominated by an employer, that labor organization’s petition shall be dismissed and the second petition shall be considered. A labor peace agreement shall not be deemed unlawful by virtue of the fact that it was entered into pursuant to Section 26051.5 of the Business and Professions Code. Any labor organization that has been illegally assisted, supported, or dominated by an employer shall be disqualified from filing any further petitions with the board for a period of one year. That labor organization’s representatives, agents, or officers shall similarly be disqualified from filing any further petitions with the board for a period of one year. A labor organization assisted, supported, created, or dominated by an employer, along with its representatives, agents, or officers, shall be permanently barred from filing any further petitions. (i) In any case where two or more labor organizations are seeking to represent the same bargaining unit through a Majority Support Petition, the most recent proof of support shall prevail. (j) If an employer commits an unfair labor practice or misconduct, including vote suppression, during a labor organization’s Majority Support Petition campaign, and the employer’s unfair labor practice or misconduct would render slight the chances of a new majority support campaign reflecting the free and fair choice of employees, the labor organization shall be certified by the board as the exclusive bargaining representative for the bargaining unit. For purposes of a finding of an unfair labor practice or misconduct under this part and under this section, a misrepresentation of fact or law by an employer, an employer’s representative, or agent is an unfair labor practice or misconduct whether or not a labor organization has had an opportunity to respond to or correct the misrepresentation. (k) If an employer disciplines, suspends, demotes, lays off, terminates, or otherwise takes adverse action against a worker during a labor organization’s Majority Support Petition campaign, there shall be a presumption that the adverse action was retaliatory. The employer may rebut the presumption if they can provide clear and convincing evidence that the adverse action would have been taken in the absence of the Majority Support Petition campaign. (l) For purposes of Section 1156.5, a certification through Majority Support Petition is a valid election. (m) The number of Majority Support Petitions that result in the certification of a labor organization conducted under this part shall be limited to 75 certifications through January 1, 2028. (n) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1157. Section 1157.

(a) All agricultural employees of the employer whose names appear on the payroll applicable to the payroll period immediately preceding the filing of a petition under this chapter shall be eligible to vote or have their submitted authorization card or other proof of support deemed valid. An economic striker shall be eligible to vote or have their authorization card or other proof of support deemed valid under such regulations as the board shall find are consistent with the purposes and provisions of this part in any election or certification proceeding, provided that the striker who has been permanently replaced shall not be eligible to vote in any election conducted more than 12 months after the commencement of the strike or to submit an authorization card or other proof of support after this time. (b) In the case of elections conducted within 18 months of the effective date of this part which involve labor disputes which commenced prior to such effective date, the board shall have the jurisdiction to adopt fair, equitable, and appropriate eligibility rules, which shall effectuate the policies of this part, with respect to the eligibility of economic strikers who were paid for work performed or for paid vacation during the payroll period immediately preceding the expiration of a collective-bargaining agreement or the commencement of a strike; provided, however, that in no event shall the board afford eligibility to any such striker who has not performed any services for the employer during the 36-month period immediately preceding the effective date of this part. (c) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1157.2. Section 1157.2.

In any election where none of the choices on the ballot receives a majority, a runoff shall be conducted, the ballot providing for a selection between the two choices receiving the largest and second largest number of valid votes cast in the election.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1157.3. Section 1157.3.

Employers shall maintain accurate and current payroll lists containing the names and addresses of all their employees, and shall make such lists available to the board upon request.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1158. Section 1158.

Whenever an order of the board made pursuant to Section 1160.3 is based in whole or in part upon the facts certified following an investigation pursuant to Sections 1156.3 to 1157.2, inclusive, and there is a petition for review of the order, the certification and the record of the investigation shall be included in the transcript of the entire record required to be filed under Section 1160.8 and thereupon the decree of the court enforcing, modifying, or setting aside in whole or in part the order of the board shall be made and entered upon the pleadings, testimony, and proceedings set forth in the transcript. The filing of a petition for review described in this section shall not be grounds for a stay of proceedings conducted pursuant to Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 1164).

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 1159. Section 1159.

In order to assure the full freedom of association, self-organization, and designation of representatives of the employees own choosing, only labor organizations certified pursuant to this part shall be parties to a legally valid collective-bargaining agreement.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026