One in every of California’s largest authorized hashish firms introduced Monday that it might radically revamp its labor practices within the wake of an enormous immigration raid at two firm services final month. The raid led to the demise of 1 employee and the detention of greater than 360 individuals, together with, in accordance with authorities officers, 14 minors.
Glass Home Manufacturers introduced it had “terminated its relationship” with the 2 farm labor contractors who had supplied staff to the hashish greenhouse operations in Camarillo and Carpinteria. It additionally introduced that it had “made significant changes to labor practices that are above and beyond legal requirements.”
These embrace hiring specialists to scrutinize staff’ paperwork in addition to hiring the consulting agency Guidepost Companies to advise the corporate on finest practices for figuring out employment eligibility. The agency is led by Julie Myers Wooden, a former ICE director below President George W. Bush.
The corporate additionally mentioned it had signed a brand new “labor peace” settlement with the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters.
On that day, federal brokers in masks and riot gear stormed throughout Glass Home operations in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties within the state’s largest ICE office raid in current reminiscence. Brokers chased panicked staff by huge greenhouses and deployed tear fuel and less-lethal projectiles at protesters and staff.
One employee, Jaime Alanis Garcia, died after he fell three tales from the roof of a greenhouse attempting to evade seize. Others have been bloodied from shards of damaged glass or hid for hours on the roofs or beneath the leaves and plastic shrouding. Greater than 360 individuals — a mixture of staff, relations of staff, protesters and passersby — have been detained, together with at the least two Americans.
Within the wake of the raid, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned that Glass Home had been focused as a result of “we knew, specifically from casework we had built for weeks and weeks and weeks, that there was children there that could be trafficked, being exploited, that there was individuals there involved in criminal activity.”
Thus far, neither Homeland Safety nor the U.S. Division of Justice have introduced any authorized motion concerning the alleged trafficking and exploitation of juveniles.
As regards to the federal government’s competition that it had discovered kids working in hashish, the corporate mentioned: “while the identities of the alleged minors have not been disclosed, the company has been able to determine that, if those reports are true, none of them were Glass House employees.” California labor legislation permits kids as younger as 12 to work in agriculture, however staff should be 21 to work in hashish.
The raid devastated Glass Home and its workforce. Quite a few staff have been detained or disappeared, terrified to return. Those that remained have been so distraught the corporate referred to as in grief counselors.
Throughout the broader world of authorized hashish, individuals have been additionally shaken. Glass Home, which is backed by rich traders and presents a glossy company picture within the wild world of hashish in California, has lengthy been generally known as the “Walmart of Weed.” Many in California’s hashish business feared the raid on Glass Home was a sign that the federal authorities’s ceasefire in opposition to hashish — which is authorized in California however nonetheless not federally — had come to an finish.
Within the wake of the raid, the United Farm Employees and different organizations warned farm laborers who weren’t residents — even these with authorized standing — to keep away from working in hashish as a result of “cannabis remains criminalized under federal law.”
In its assertion, Glass Home mentioned the search warrant served on the corporate the day of the raid was looking for “evidence of possible immigration violations.” A supply near the corporate mentioned officers have had no additional contact with the federal authorities for the reason that raid.
Some farm labor advocates have been unimpressed by the corporate’s announcement of revamped labor practices, saying it was farmworkers who would pay the worth.
Lucas Zucker, co-executive director of Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economic system, or CAUSE, mentioned Glass Home was utilizing farm labor contractors to keep away from accountability “while their workers are torn away from their families in handcuffs.”
“This shows the double standards of our legal system, where corporations can profit from the immigrant workers their businesses depend on, yet wipe their hands clean when it becomes inconvenient,” he mentioned. He added that “many farmworkers are still struggling to navigate this mess of labor contractors and have not been paid for the work they did at Glass House.”
A supply near Glass Home mentioned firm officers need to make sure that everybody who was at work on the day of the raid receives all of the wages they’re owed.
Firm officers licensed all staff to be paid by 11:30 pm on the day of the raid, as a result of staff who had completed their shifts couldn’t get out as a result of immigration brokers have been blocking the doorways. The supply mentioned the farm labor contractors had been paid and may have launched wages to all the employees.
“We don’t want anyone to be shorted,” the supply mentioned.
