Related Links
Union decertified at vineyard
UFW loses appeal of workers' vote at Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard in Windsor
Published: Tuesday, January 1, 2008 at 3:33 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, December 31, 2007 at 9:00 p.m.
Workers at a prominent Russian River vineyard company have succeeded in ousting the United Farm Workers union.
The state Agricultural Labor Relations Board on Monday certified the results of a July 26 special election by workers at Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard Inc. in Windsor.
The New Year's Eve decision punctuated what has been a year of setbacks for the UFW on the North Coast. Two different groups of vineyard workers in Sonoma County decided in 2007 to remove the union from representing them.
The 48 workers who tend the 500 acres of vines for Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard voted overwhelmingly to reject the union, which began representing them in 2005.
The workers voted, 39-6, to reject the union, with 3 ballots challenged and uncounted. The UFW appealed the vote.
At the time, several workers said they voted against the union because they rarely saw UFW representatives, didn't think they needed the protection of a union, and resented paying 2 percent of their salaries in dues.
The vote -- called a decertification vote -- followed a similar ballot in June at E&J Gallo winery in Healdsburg. Workers there voted, 125-95, to kick out the union. The UFW is appealing that vote, as well.
Taken together, the two votes represent the most significant setback for the UFW since the union founded by Cesar Chavez set its sights on expanding into the North Coast's premium wine industry in the early 1990s. Gallo farmworkers first voted to be represented by the UFW in 1994, but it took them until 2000 to reach a contract.
The UFW scored other smaller wins on the North Coast, but the Gallo contract has remained the union's largest in the area.
The UFW appealed both votes to the state, saying they were unfairly influenced by representatives of the companies.
The UFW had success with this strategy in 2004, when the board overturned a decertification vote. A judge ruled that two foremen working for labor contractors hired by Gallo unlawfully "assisted, supported and encouraged" the effort to oust the UFW.
The UFW made similar claims in its effort to block the latest votes. In the Gallo case, the UFW claimed the company allowed a fierce union critic to use a company four-wheeler to campaign against the union on company time.
Three of four charges in that case have been dismissed, but a fourth is pending.
In the Saralee's Vineyard case, the UFW alleged the company threatened to discipline workers who expressed support for the union, such as by wearing buttons.
That case, however, was dismissed in October for lack of evidence. An investigation revealed the company had merely instructed workers not to put any signs -- pro-union or anti-union -- on company property, according to Fred Capuyan, regional director of the labor board.
The UFW requested a review of that decision, and the board sided against the union last week.
The decertification means the union no longer represents workers at the Windsor vineyard operations, and the case is closed.
Neither officials at UFW nor Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard returned calls for comment.
If the union is removed from Gallo, it will only represent 20 workers in Sonoma County, at Balletto Vineyards in Santa Rosa.
You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article