Today we ask one of the richest winemaking giants in America and the world to grant simple justice for some of the lowest paid, hardest-working workers in our nation.
Gallo has purchased vast expanses of land in Sonoma County.
Gallo has reshaped the geography of the Wine Country, reshaping the land to make way for more vineyards.
Gallo has invested $100 million making itself a major player in the high-end wine market.
Yet Gallo refuses to invest in the men and women who grow the vines and are responsible for the taste, quality and tradition of Gallo of Sonoma wines.
It makes no sense for Gallo to ignore the basic needs of the 350 people who make up its vineyard work force in Sonoma County.
For it is these workers who are responsible for pruning, treating and caring for the vines during the critical cultural processes. They too need to be cared for and respected.
There is no respect when the great majority of Gallo of Sonoma workers who are hired through farm labor contractors live jammed into miserable and cramped houses, apartments and makeshift hotels.
There is no respect when Gallo of Sonoma refuses to provide labor contractor workers with any benefits whatsoever.
There is no respect when Gallo of Sonoma doesn’t even want the UFW to be able to represent these workers.
There is no respect when the wages of Gallo of Sonoma workers do not even come close to keeping up with living costs.
There is no respect when ever-increasing health care co-pays plague even the workers who are hired directly by Gallo of Sonoma.
Because Gallo of Sonoma refuses to respect its workers, we have been forced to find new strategies to ensure the consuming public hears about their plight–and finds ways to participate in their cause.
Today we are unveiling the fruits of that participation.
Today at Gallo of Sonoma’s wine tasting room in the Sonoma County town of Healdsburg, workers will deliver petitions with the names of more than 25,000 people from across the country who signed up over the Internet just since last May. These petitioners pledge to boycott all Gallo wines unless Gallo of Sonoma negotiates a “fair and just” contract.
Today we also officially premiere the Gallo of Sonoma workers’ new web site, GalloUnfair.com. It spotlights the latest in cartoon animation created exclusively for us by renowned Chicano artist Lalo Alcaraz. Lalo’s theme is Gallo of Sonoma “Loves the ‘70s.”
The web site contains detailed background information and news on the plight of Gallo of Sonoma workers. It can be visited at GalloUnfair.com.
Finally, today a full-page ad sponsored by the UFW appears in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat daily newspaper. It is paid for entirely with thousands of dollars collected through Internet appeals.
All of these petitions and Internet appeals recall the first farm workers’ boycott of Gallo wines, from 1973 to 1977. A nationwide Louis Harris poll in 1975 showed millions of Americans were boycotting Gallo.
Our appeals urge the company to avoid a renewed boycott by negotiating in good faith. Our next bargaining session is set for tomorrow.
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