Offering medical insurance and different advantages to ag workers since 1972
Napa Valley, Aug. 22, 2022—Ag Well being Advantages Alliance (AHBA) is proud to rejoice 50 years of service to the Northern California agricultural group. AHBA has been offering inexpensive medical insurance and different advantages for ag workers since its founding because the California Winegrower Basis in 1972.
That 12 months, Ren Harris, founding father of Harris Vineyards/Paradigm Vineyard, and a small group of forward-thinking wine grape growers from Napa and Sonoma shared a typical objective of enhancing working circumstances for agricultural workers, together with seasonal employees. The founders acknowledged that providing a complete advantages program helps to draw and retain a wholesome, productive workforce.
Additionally they felt that the monetary safety and well being of California’s farm employees was important to the financial vitality, cultural richness, well being and fantastic thing about all the group. “The idea of bringing growers collectively to collectively present advantages for his or her employees was modern for its time and helped to create a tradition of caring for farmworkers that also exists amongst members right this moment,” says Government Director Rebecca Barlow.
To make clear its function and identification, the non-profit group rebranded as Ag Well being Advantages Alliance in January 2019. At the moment, AHBA’s bilingual group serves practically 100 native growers, winery managers and wineries, overseeing healthcare protection for greater than 1,600 workers and their households. “We now have a novel group well being program by means of our partnership with an agricultural Belief that includes versatile plan options and aggressive pricing” says Barlow. “We additionally provide group medical, dental, imaginative and prescient, voluntary advantages, incapacity and life merchandise by means of different California insurance coverage carriers. These twin channels permit us to match a large selection of choices for employers and develop strategic, well-rounded worker advantages packages.”
Additionally in 2019, AHBA shaped the Agricultural Well being Advantages Alliance Academic Basis, LLC, a charitable certified scholarship program supplied solely to workers and their households enrolled in AHBA’s group well being plan. Funded by board member Michael Wolf, the Michael Wolf Belief and a rising record of others, the Academic Basis gives grants for job coaching, commerce faculties, group school and superior levels.
“Our guiding philosophy at Ag Well being Advantages Alliance has remained the identical since our founding. We’re regularly striving to make worker advantages inexpensive, manageable and comprehensible,” says Barlow. “It’s our privilege to serve this group of caring, beneficiant employers and their workers. We sit up for persevering with the custom for an additional 50 years.”
About Ag Well being Advantages Alliance
Now celebrating its fiftieth 12 months, Ag Well being Advantages Alliance (AHBA) has been offering inexpensive medical insurance and different advantages to agricultural workers in Northern California since its founding because the California Winegrower Basis in 1972. Began by a gaggle of forward-thinking wine grape growers who shared a typical objective of enhancing working circumstances, AHBA is a non-profit member group that helps each employers and workers. AHBA’s members have been devoted to offering well being advantages for workers, together with seasonal employees, lengthy earlier than required by regulation. At the moment, AHBA gives these advantages to greater than 1,500 agricultural workers.
