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By Capital Press staff

WAFLA CEO Gastelum heads up organization  

Two Washington-based groups that help agricultural employers recruit and house workers are merging.  

The Worker and Farmer Labor Association and the Washington Growers League announced Jan. 14 they will become one organization. The merged group will retain the name Worker and Farmer Labor Association, commonly known as WAFLA.  

WAFLA CEO Enrique Gastelum will head up the organization. Growers League Executive Director Mike Gempler will assist with the merger.

“This merger positions our organizations to better meet the real-world needs of growers operating in an increasingly complex regulatory and labor environment,” Gastelum said in a statement.  

The Growers League, based in Yakima, was founded in 1987 to advocate for agriculture and provide human resources support, farmworker housing and worker-safety training.  

WAFLA , based in Lacey, was founded in 2007. It’s also a policy advocate and helps its members obtain and house seasonal foreign farmworkers.

“WAFLA and WGL have long worked toward the same goals from complementary angles,” Gempler said in a statement. “This merger allows us to pool our resources and expertise, reduce duplication, and provide greater value to our members.”