VCAA was formed in 1970 as a result of an agricultural industry strike in the Salinas Valley affecting vegetable growers. When a similar strike was called against local strawberry growers by the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO in 1974, VCAA became fully operational to meet the needs of local farmers.
Following implementation of the landmark Agricultural Labor Relations Act on August 28, 1975, VCAA began to provide support services to local vegetable and strawberry farmers who were the object of union organizational activities of the UFW. These included representation of local farmers before the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, as well as the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements with the UFW and Teamsters Union.
By the late 1970's, over 30 local farming organizations were organized by the UFW with collective bargaining agreements, including the majority of vegetable packing houses which had contracts with Teamsters Local 186.
Over the last 30 years, VCAA, has provided specialized labor relations and related services to its members. The diversity of these services has changed with the needs of VCAA’s members over its history. These services have addressed such diverse areas as union organizing campaigns, legislative matters in both Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, immigration reform, water quality issues, fumigant issues, formation of a political action committee to insure the voice of local farmers is heard by elected officials, addressing the workers’ comp, health insurance and related insurance needs of its members, involvement in land use issues and development of strategic alliances with other agricultural and business organizations on a local, State and national level.
VCAA prides itself in aggressively representing the interests of all of its members before various Federal, State and local regulatory agencies on virtually all issues affecting their agricultural and business operations.
Through its unique network of strategic alliances, VCAA also has access to a number of prominent labor and employment law attorneys to represent the interests of its members on a variety of civil litigation issues. Finally, VCAA’s continued cooperation with other statewide agricultural trade associations, allows VCAA to take a partnership role in developing regulatory laws and regulations that are beneficial to its members and the State’s agricultural industry.