The United Farm Workers union is fighting back against the efforts of one farmer who claims that the UFW and California's farm labor overseers have joined up to force a contract on him—even though he says his workers don't want union representation.

CNBC on Wednesday reported on Gerawan Farms, where workers voted last November on whether to decertify the United Farm Workers as their union. Months later, the votes remain impounded by the state's Agriculture Labor Relations Board (ALRB), the result unknown, as an investigator looks into whether the voting was legitimate.

"That will be up to an ALRB administrative law judge after listening to testimony by sworn witnesses from both sides in a hearing that could go on for months," UFW spokesman Marc Grossman said. The hearing is scheduled for next month.

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Farmer Dan Gerawan told CNBC last year that the UFW returned to the farm in 2012 after a 20-year absence in order to demand a contract, and many of his workers balked at the idea of paying union dues. Most did not know the UFW had organized the workforce in the '90s. Gerawan said that the UFW was running low on membership and funding, and his large operation became a target.

Grossman countered that Gerawan is has been acting in bad faith. Even before the vote took place, the UFW said Gerawan engaged in "egregious multiple, serious and repeated violations of California law," including hampering the ability of workers to talk to the union, and he "unlawfully interrogated workers about their union activities."

According to the UFW, rather than abandoning the farm, it has worked at various times over the years to try to negotiate a contract.

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"A 1994 UFW drive that involved thousands of Gerawan workers produced a complete bargaining proposal, but the company never submitted a counterproposal," the union said.

Dan Gerawan argued that the UFW proposal was "boilerplate" and "not very relevant" to his family's farm. "We asked them to submit a new more relevant proposal," but he said the union never responded and disappeared.



See the video below for CNBC's original report on Gerawan Farms and the UFW from last year.