labor

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fillay

Phil Ashton
A friend is involved with a tasting group that wants to organize a "solidarity" event for Wisconsin public workers, and she has asked for help identifying interesting producers with fair labor practices (collective bargaining agreements, living wage commitments, etc), or perhaps regions with stronger worker protections. I found this along with some lists of "fair trade" producers, but otherwise I'm stumped.

Any thoughts here?
 
originally posted by fillay:
laborA friend is involved with a tasting group that wants to organize a "solidarity" event for Wisconsin public workers, and she has asked for help identifying interesting producers with fair labor practices (collective bargaining agreements, living wage commitments, etc), or perhaps regions with stronger worker protections. I found this along with some lists of "fair trade" producers, but otherwise I'm stumped.

Any thoughts here?
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Why not use wines from cooperatives?

See http://winedisorder.com/comment/56/3734/?all=true#55535
 
Well, but those are ownership structures and don't necessarily relate to labor practices. Land O'Lakes, for instance, is a co-op. Unless you know of a worker-owned winery...
 
I don't know any specifics, but I have to bet that Navarro might fit the bill.

If you're looking to make food for the event make sure to use King Arthur flour! The original family owners sold it to the employees several years ago.
 
originally posted by fillay:
Well, but those are ownership structures and don't necessarily relate to labor practices. Land O'Lakes, for instance, is a co-op. Unless you know of a worker-owned winery...
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Good point. Nevertheless, I would imagine that many (if not most) of the wine cooperatives mentioned in that thread are composed of small vineyard owners who gathered together out of economic necessity. (This, of course, would needed to be confirmed, most likely one by one.) Still, seems closer to the spirit that you're going for than Gallo, etc.
 
originally posted by Robert Fleming:
Here's another list of union-made wines, but your friend's group may not wish to embrace "solidarity" with the Bronco's and Gallo's of the wine world:

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www.ufcw.org
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No question - she's trading one set of compromises for another if she follows that list (or the UFW list, for that matter).

I actually found a history of the union drive at Charles Krug in the mid-1970s - it may make one happy to drink a labor-friendly product now, but it doesn't inspire loyalty to the brand, notwithstanding whether the wine was any good (they were clearly schooled in the Reagan method of labor relations).
 
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