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*** WINERY LOCKOUT ENDS ***
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Progressive Portal
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Feb 21, 2002 00:23 PST
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Below is an excerpt. The full article may be read on the Napa Valley
News Web site, at:
es/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=D23D4C58-4573-4E8F-8D6C-38FD480FF7A7
Enter the link above all on one line in your Web browser. If the link
does not show up properly, go to http://www.napanews.com and type the
word Krug in the Search box at top left, then press Find.]
CONTENTIOUS KRUG WINERY LOCKOUT FINALLY ENDS
UNION WORKERS RETURN TO JOBS NEXT WEEK
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
By NATHAN CRABBE
Register Staff Writer
ncra-@napanews.com
Production workers at Charles Krug Winery will return to their jobs a
week from today, ending a tumultuous lockout that lasted nearly eight
months.
The union-represented workers on Saturday narrowly approved the St.
Helena winery's latest contract offer, 16-12. The new contract does not
include wage cuts and will limit the winery's use of non-union workers.
Jerry Barlow, president of the Modesto-based winery workers union,
called the resolution to the lockout "bittersweet." Workers were clearly
tired of being out of their jobs for so long, Barlow said.
Barlow said the biggest breakthrough in the latest offer was allowing
current workers to be "grandfathered" out of proposals to cut wages.
While new hires would get reduced wages, he said, current workers would
maintain their previous pay.
Charles Krug is the oldest winery in Napa County, run today by Peter
Mondavi and his sons, Marc and Peter Jr. The winery has the only
remaining union-represented production workers in the county.
Krug locked out those workers July 3, 2001, in the midst of negotiations
on restructuring the winery workforce. The union claimed the company was
attempting to cut union jobs and some workers' wages in the
restructuring and refused not to strike during negotiations.
The winery's use of outside, non-union workers was another issue in
dispute. Barlow said the latest offer allows some jobs to be contracted
to non-union workers, but not as many as the previously rejected offers.
Krug Chief Financial Officer Tom Fossey said only four spots could be
contracted out under the agreement. Provisions were included to protect
current jobs from being impacted, he said.
Barlow said while the latest offer was better than initial proposals,
the contract is still far from the agreement the union hoped to reach.
"I don't think either side wins in a deal like this," he said.
Krug has used management and temporary workers in production positions
during the lockout, a period that included the 2001 grape crush. Barlow
said the winery was anxious to get locked-out workers back to their jobs
because last year's crush was so riddled with problems.
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