7-10 p.m. today (Thursday) outside St. Helena winery
Permanent vigil begins at Napa Valley winery by soon-to-be-fired Krug-Mondavi workers
Workers about to be fired by Charles Krug Winery—operated for three generations by the Peter Mondavi family—Thursday kick off a permanent vigil on Hwy. 29 outside the winery and tasting room as the United Farm Workers pursues a nationwide boycott of the company’s wines. The boycotted labels are Charles Krug and C.K. Mondavi.
About three-dozen Krug-Mondavi workers, family members and supporters kick off the vigil between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. this evening near St. Helena. Workers will use a makeshift shrine to display images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, candles and other religious offerings along with distinctive red UFW flags and large “Boycott Krug-Mondavi wines” banners and signs visible to motorists traversing busy Hwy. 29, in the heart of the fabled Napa Valley.
The vigil will normally run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., coinciding with regular winery hours. On some days hours will extend into the evening to accommodate workers and supporters joining the vigil after work.
Today marks nine days before Krug-Mondavi winery says it is firing all its vineyard workers on July 1, and turning operations over to a land manager. Observances held nine days before or after important religious events are a part of the Mexican Catholic tradition.
The vigil is being complimented by a long-term concerted Internet campaign reaching hundreds of thousands; endorsements of the boycott by cities, labor and political organizations; direct appeals to the country’s largest wine distributors, retailers and supermarkets to honor the boycott; and marches by hundreds of workers and supporters.
Who: Dozens of soon-to-be-fired Krug-Mondavi vineyard workers, family and supporters.
What: Kicking off a permanent vigil outside the Krug-Mondavi winery.
When: 7-10 p.m., Thursday, June 22, 2006; normal daily vigil hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 2800 Main St. (Hwy. 29), just north of downtown St. Helena in the Napa Valley.
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