Rodney Strong Target of Unionization Effort

With some workers at other wineries having seen their hours cut by as much as half and employers turn to day laborers on H-2A visas, bottling, warehouse and other production workers at Rodney Strong Vineyards are attempting to unionize.

The unionization effort comes as the industry struggles with declining alcohol consumption.

Teamsters Union Local 665, which is leading the organizing, says a majority of the workers favor union representation, and it asked the winery to allow a "card check" process to recognize the union without a formal election.

Rodney Strong officials rejected the petition, said any unionization effort should go through the normal National Labor Relations Board secret-ballot election process.

“Card check neutrality agreements restrict our organization’s right to make its views known, dilute transparency and rules protecting employees’ individual choices, and — most important — deprive each employee of the right to make a choice free from pressure or influence by taking away the right to a secret ballot election,” the company said in a statement.

Rodney Strong Vineyards operates 12 estate vineyards and employs 173 workers who produce 550,000 cases annually.