HEALDSBURG, Calif. – Rodney Strong Vineyard workers, Teamsters Local 665, and North Bay Jobs with Justice alongside other community members held a disco picket outside the entrance to the winery on Saturday, July 18.
The disco picket was in support of workers wanting a fair process for organizing, and a response to the vineyard’s own disco event – held across the street. Around 300 people from across the county and North Bay attended.
Workers at Rodney Strong Vineyards are seeking a card check agreement, under which an employer agrees to recognize a union if a majority of employees sign authorization cards supporting unionization.
It’s been two months since the winery initially rejected a card check neutrality agreement.
Without such an agreement, workers can petition the National Labor Relations Board to hold a secret-ballot election, but that’s a process that labor organizers say typically takes longer before a union can be recognized.
Workers say they haven’t had a raise in three years.
Felix Lopez Vega is a worker at Rodney Strong Vineyards.
“We want to change the conditions of the company. Currently, there’s a lot of repression on behalf of the management. There’s continuous investment into the company, but not into the workers,” said Felix Lopez Vega in an interview with North Bay Vanguard through a translator provided by North Bay Jobs with Justice.
“We’re organizing because we’ve built this industry,” he said.
Lopez also said when he started 20 years ago at the winery, workers managed about 25,000 barrels per day. Now, they’re managing over 75,000. He also said the cost of living and health premiums have risen, while the company has invested in modernization but not in its workforce.
Hundreds of supporters from several organizations showed up in solidarity at Saturday’s disco picket including members from the Sonoma County Democratic Socialists of America, Sonoma County Singing Resistance, Teamsters Local 665, North Bay Jobs with Justice, Indivisible Sonoma County, and SEIU 1021.
Mike Yates is the president of Teamsters Local 665, a labor union with over 5,000 members across Northern California. He first joined the Teamsters Union in 1986.
“We’re trying to help the workers of Rodney Strong,” said Mike Yates, “Us and Jobs with Justice are working to try to get a card check neutrality agreement with Rodney Strong, so that the workers can organize without intimidation or harassment.”
Yates said the vineyard hired union busters as an attempt to intimidate the workers.
According to the SF Chronicle, the vineyard has “retained Jesse Rojas, CEO of the Redd Group, a labor relations consulting organization, according to workers who attended a meeting with him June 10. Rojas is an anti-United Farm Workers activist who has supported union decertification campaigns in California, including at Gerawan Farming and Foster Poultry Farms.”
“It’s not working the way they want it to work. They’ve been well educated. They understand the process. They understand what their rights are,” said Yates.
One such tactic, according to Yates, was telling workers the Department of Homeland Security was in the parking lot, in an attempt to frighten them.
“In one of their last meetings to have the union, the union buster guy said, ‘You guys can’t get a raise because of the union.’ And one of the workers stood up and said, ‘We haven’t gotten a raise in three years. What are you talking about?” said Yates.
Yates also said that the Teamsters will be sending out an announcement to all locals in the United States asking for people for a one-year commitment to the Rodney Strong Wine Club if workers unionize.
“We could come very close to doubling the size of their wine club easily,” said Yates, “We fully understand that running a company out of business is no good for anybody. We want them to be successful, and we want them to share that success with the workers,” he said.
When asked by North Bay Vanguard how it felt having two disco parties across the street from each other, Yates smiled. “I think we had a better party than they did inside,” he said.
Glenn Solis is a worker in the shipping and receiving department at Rodney Strong Vineyards. He’s been working at the vineyard for over 18 years.
“l load and unload trucks, pull orders, send the wine out to the world, basically,” said Glenn Solis in an interview with the North Bay Vanguard.
Solis was outside at the winery’s secondary entrance along with around 70 other picketers. The winery had relocated the event entry’s point to their employee entrance, blocking off the standard entrance with barriers. In response, community organizers shuttled people to the secondary entrance – two pickets, two entrances.
“My coworkers have to work two jobs in order to cover basic expenses, and we just feel forgotten by the executives at Robbie Strong,” said Solis.
He also said despite the company’s success, blue collar workers feel overlooked.
“I really like working here…It’s a family-oriented business, and that’s why I’ve been here for so long. And we continue to make quality wines, and we’re going to continue to make quality wines – but we want a part of that success,” said Solis, “From the field workers or the growers, it doesn’t matter what department. We all contribute and we all deserve a piece of the pie.”
Davida Sotelo Escobedo is a lead organizer with North Bay Jobs with Justice.
“Harvest is starting now, we’re gonna keep backing up workers as the harvest starts, ” said Davida Sotelo Escobedo in an interview with North Bay Vanguard.
“We know things are getting really intense, and it’s a reminder of all the work that happens right now in harvest – all the labor and sweat, winery workers, farm workers… they built the industry. They’ve created all this wealth, and they deserve to be listened to,” she said.
