54431
. It is an unfair trade practice, and unlawful, for any
processor, handler, distributor, or agent of any such person, or,
with regard to subdivisions (d), (e), and (f), for any cooperative
bargaining association or any agent of an association, or for any
other person to do any of the following:
(a) Interfere with, restrain, coerce, or boycott producers in the
exercise of the rights which are guaranteed pursuant to Section
54402.
(b) Discriminate against any producer with respect to price or
other terms of purchase of any raw agricultural commodity, by reason
of the producer's membership in, or contract with, any cooperative
bargaining association.
(c) Pay or loan money, or give any other thing of value, to a
producer as an inducement or reward for refusing or ceasing to belong
to, or for breaching one's membership agreement in, a cooperative
bargaining association.
(d) Maliciously or knowingly give false reports about the
finances, management, or activities of any person subject to this
chapter.
(e) Refuse to negotiate or bargain, including refusing to comply
with the procedure prescribed in Article 3.5 (commencing with Section
54451), at reasonable times and for reasonable periods of time with
a genuine desire to reach agreement and a serious attempt to resolve
differences with a cooperative bargaining association for price,
terms of sale, compensation for commodities produced under contract,
and other contract provisions relative to any commodity which a
cooperative bargaining association represents, or refuse to negotiate
or bargain, including refusing to comply with the procedure
prescribed in Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 54451), at
reasonable times and for reasonable periods of time with a genuine
desire to reach agreement and a serious attempt to resolve
differences with a processor for price, terms of sale, compensation
for commodities produced under contract, and other contract
provisions relative to any commodity which the cooperative bargaining
association represents. This subdivision does not apply to fresh
grapes purchased for wine. Also, this subdivision is limited to
processors, handlers, or agents of any of those persons who deal in
fruits, nuts, or vegetables for processing and a cooperative
bargaining association which meets all of the following:
(1) That, under the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the
cooperative bargaining association, the association is producer owned
and controlled exclusively by producers.
(2) The cooperative bargaining association has enforceable
contracts with its members.
(3) The cooperative bargaining association has financial resources
and management reasonably sufficient to accomplish the purpose for
which it was organized.
(4) The cooperative bargaining association represents, through its
own members, a sufficient number of producers or a sufficient
quantity of any particular commodity, or both, to make it an
effective agent for producers in bargaining with handlers.
(5) One of the functions of the cooperative bargaining association
is acting as principal or agent for its producer members to
negotiate or bargain with handlers for prices, terms of sale,
compensation for commodities produced under contract and other terms
of contracts with respect to the production, sale, and marketing of
their commodities.
(f) Refuse to negotiate or bargain for price, terms of sale,
compensation for commodities produced under contract, and other
contract provisions relative to any commodity which a cooperative
bargaining association represents. This subdivision only applies to a
cooperative association whose members produce either fresh grapes
purchased for wine or whose members produce any other commodity not
specified in subdivision (e) and which meets all of the following:
(1) Under the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the
cooperative bargaining association, the association is producer owned
and controlled exclusively by producers.
(2) The cooperative bargaining association has enforceable
contracts with its members.
(3) The cooperative bargaining association has financial resources
and management reasonably sufficient to accomplish the purpose for
which it was organized.
(4) The cooperative bargaining association represents, through its
own members, a sufficient number of producers or a sufficient
quantity of any particular commodity, or both, to make it an
effective agent for producers in bargaining with handlers.
(5) One of the functions of the cooperative bargaining association
is acting as principal or agent for its producer members to
negotiate or bargain with handlers for prices, terms of sale,
compensation for commodities produced under contract, and other terms
of contracts with respect to the production, sale, and marketing of
their commodity.