Dozens to human billboard at Gallo of Sonoma’s tasting room

Dozens of Gallo of Sonoma vineyard workers and their supporters will form a “human billboard” in front of the the company’s wine tasting room at the well know Healdsburg wine tasting square.

The workers will hold up signs reading, “Gallo, we want a contract,” “Gallo, unfair to farm workers,” “Gallo, we want job security” and  “Gallo, my children need health insurance.”  Participants will also be holding the UFW’s distinctive red flags with black eagles.

For eight months, Gallo of Sonoma vineyard workers have been working without a United Farm Workers contract.

The hold up is over the refusal by Matt and Gina Gallo and Gallo of Sonoma to provide health and other basic benefits to the 75% of their work force supplied by farm labor contractors. Matt Gallo even told his workers last year it was the UFW’s fault they don’t have health benefits—an outright lie. Last December, a California administrative judge ruled Gallo of Sonoma illegally tried to decertify, or get rid of, the UFW.

Workers have begun to take their campaign to the public.  On Tuesday, an online petition to Gallo of Sonoma was launched at http://www.ufw.org and more than 7,800 people have signed it.  Many thousands more are expected to sign the petition by the next negotiation meeting scheduled for late June.

Who: Dozens of Gallo of Sonoma workers and their supporters.

What: Human billboard demanding a UFW contract.

When: 3:30-4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 29, 2004.  

Where: Gallo of Sonoma’s wine tasting room located at 320 Center Street, Healdsburg.