|
Krug Workers Vote Monday 1/7/02
|
Progressive Portal
|
Jan 06, 2002 18:26 PST
|
This article may also be read on the Web at:
http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=03874FC6-EFCF-47FF-9970-5736BF3E5BDD
[Enter the above all on one line in your Web browser.]
Krug workers to vote Monday
Rally marks six months of lockout
Sunday, January 6, 2002
By NATHAN CRABBE
Napa Valley Register Staff Writer
As the lockout at Charles Krug Winery passes the six-month point,
out-of-work production workers are poised to vote on a contract offer
for only the second time during the labor impasse.
More than 40 workers, locked out of their jobs since July 3, 2001,
will gather Monday in Yountville to vote on the company's latest
offer -- though prospects for its passage appear remote.
As the vote nears, some workers and dozens of their supporters
gathered at Lyman Park in St. Helena on Saturday to mark the
six-month anniversary of the lockout. Steady rain forced participants
to cram into a park gazebo for more than an hour of speeches.
Carrying signs such as "Union busting is disgusting," participants
followed the event with a wet march through the city's downtown.
Several speakers, mainly representatives of Bay Area labor groups,
said the event represents the beginning of more area awareness of the
lockout.
Speakers pledged that their unions will promote a boycott of Krug
wines at stores and restaurants in their areas. Walter Johnson,
executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, said the
entire Bay Area labor community must demonstrate its support to Krug
workers.
"We should have been here a long time ago," Johnson said. "If we're
going to give meaning to the labor movement, then we should be here."
The backdrop to the event, unknown to many participants, is a
contract vote by workers for the first time since August. Only one
worker voted in favor of the last contract offer and some workers
foresee a similar fate for the latest offer.
Kenny Drost, a cellar worker for 21 years who has taken part in
negotiations, said the union wants to allow workers the chance to
vote on another contract "no matter how bad it was."
Drost believes the lockout will last at least another six months as
the company attempts to drive out the union.
Union president Jerry Barlow said union leaders didn't like the
latest contract offer but felt a vote was important.
"We'll let the members decide," Barlow said.
Tom Fossey, chief financial officer for Krug, said on Thursday that
the tone of negotiations has improved for the better in recent weeks.
Fossey couldn't be reached for comment on the contract vote or the
St. Helena rally.
If the contract offer is rejected, rally speakers indicated the St.
Helena winery will face new pressure from workers' supporters. Mike
Smith of the North Bay Labor Council said a boycott of Krug wines
must reach the same level of awareness as the Cesar Chavez-promoted
table grape boycott.
"No one ever got a contract in the field without a boycott," Smith
said. "We have to do the same thing."
Smith and others also called for new guerilla tactics against Krug,
including supporters calling the winery directly and showing up in
its tasting room to voice their displeasure.
"We have to make it uncomfortable for them," Smith said.
Some speakers painted the lockout as emblematic of the struggle of
other area workers. St. Helena Mayor Ken Slavens said any reduction
of local workers' wages and benefits is wrongheaded because of the
high cost of living in the area.
"I question why Krug hasn't bargained in good faith," Slavens said.
Slavens, who is also representative of a local carpenters union and a
county supervisor candidate, offered to moderate future negotiations
between Krug management and the Modesto-based local branch of the
Union Food and Commercial Workers.
Negotiations between management and the union have barely progressed
since stalling after the workers' last contract ran out on April,
leading to the lockout two months later.
The union alleges the company would cut jobs and many workers' wages
in a proposed restructuring. The winery claims its contract offers
are being wrongly characterized and most workers would actually gain
pay in the proposals.
Local president Barlow said Thursday the issue of subcontracted labor
is the biggest sticking point in recent negotiations. Krug's Fossey
said the company feels "strongly about having the flexibility," to
use contracted labor in addition to union workers.
It wasn't immediately known how -- or whether -- the issue was
resolved in the latest contract offer.
Aurelio Martin, a relative of many of the locked-out workers, said
the rally showed that the workers' struggles will receive new
attention if the lockout lags on indefinitely.
"This, today, is a turning point," he said. "From now on, we are not
alone anymore."
Nathan Crabbe can be reached at 256-2260 or ncra-@napanews.com.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EARTH FLAGS --- PEACE FLAGS --- U.N. FLAGS:
http://www.progressiveportal.org/flags
-----------------------------------------------------
webweaver-AT-progressiveportal.org
http://www.progressiveportal.org
Your Internet Starting-Point for Progressive Activism
2887 College Ave. #274, Berkeley, CA 94705-2113
Fax and Voice Messages: (208) 247-0911
-----------------------------------------------------
|
|
 |
|
