Representatives from the United Farm Workers of America and Charles Krug Winery began mediation Tuesday in the offices of a mediator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Roberto Garcia, UFW contract administrator, announced the beginning of the mediation session on Dec. 14 in a room at the St. Helena Catholic School. About two dozen people attended, most of them workers formerly employed by St. Helena’s Charles Krug Winery, who were fired in July.

Most of the men sat with their arms folded, intently listening to Garcia, Catarina Sanchez and the Rev. John Brenkle. As Sanchez, the property manager at St. Helena’s Stonebridge Apartments, took the roll call, each of the fired workers present received an envelope with $300 cash in it. Not all of the envelopes were handed out; Sanchez said she would make an effort to get them to the remaining workers.

During the 40-minute meeting, Sanchez also asked if each of the workers had found jobs. One man found a full-time job; another found a part-time job. The others, though, had been without steady employment since they were fired.

Hard to find work

Jose A. Hernandez, 48, of Clearlake, said he had worked for Charles Krug Winery for 17 years. Besides his wife, living in his home are three sons and two daughters. Hernandez, who has a Class A (truck) driver’s license, was wearing a camouflage jacket he had received from his son, who spent two tours in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Marines. He said it has been hard for him to find steady work.

His nephew, Jose J. Hernandez, was a general laborer at Charles Krug Winery. He also lives in Clearlake and commutes to Napa County nearly every day, looking for work. “There is nothing sure for my family, no regular work,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of part-time jobs, but right now, I’ve been laid off. It’s hard to find a full-time job. With my family, I’m looking for benefits.”

Garcia said the workers are interested in returning to their former full-time, permanent jobs with benefits. “Some of these workers had been there for 15, 20 or 30 years and had spent their best years there,” Garcia said. “It is hard for them to find stable jobs with benefits, a pension and annual increases.”

Union fights legal battle

Garcia said that although the UFW doesn’t provide the fired workers with monetary benefits, the union is fighting the legal battle for their jobs. “We have filed eight to 10 charges that were consolidated into one case that is going before the Agricultural National Labor Relations Board,” he said, adding the UFW is still waiting for a hearing date. “I hope it’s soon,” he added.

Additionally, the union is continuing its efforts to boycott Charles Krug and Mondavi wines, hosting speaking tours — including one recently at Napa Valley College — and through its Web site, seeking petition signatures supporting the boycott.

“It’s not just physical in front of the winery,” he added, although the Thursday night vigils had been held nearly every week since the workers were fired.

On Nov. 21 Garcia and some of the former workers presented a petition with between 15,000 to 17,000 signatures to winery owner Marc Mondavi and Chief Financial Officer Tom Fossey. At the time, the two accepted the petition, said they would be glad to meet at any time, but said they had a luncheon appointment.

Winery CFO speaks

“I’m the one who offered the mediation, not the UFW,” Fossey said Tuesday, following the first mediation session.

Fossey said it would not be appropriate to discuss details of the mediation session, but he did say it began at 10:30 a.m. and lasted five hours.

Originally, the dispute between the union and the winery was whether physical exams should be mandatory for all employees under the latest contract. The winery sought to have a baseline of its employees’ physical condition before signing a contract, which expired a year ago. The union refused to accept the provision and the winery decided to fire its workers and hire Jack Neal and Sons Vineyard Management for the harvest.

“They were replaced by a land manager,” Fossey explained Tuesday. “Last February I was willing the bargain the effects of hiring a land manager, and I asked the union to participate with us. After it was obvious they would not, I offered one week of severance per year of service. The highest offer was 32 weeks of pay. They said they were not interested.”

Increased awareness

Garcia said the union’s efforts also include increasing awareness of the workers’ plight.

During the Dec. 14 meeting, Brenkle gave out contact information for a full-time landscaping job. He also thanked the local newspapers for their continuing coverage of the fired workers. The articles have “generated a great deal of interest and support and brought some money, with more coming in,” he said. After the meeting, each of the workers carried a box of food — enough for a week — to their vehicles.

Donations for the workers may be sent to the St. Helena Catholic Church, 1340 Tainter St., St. Helena.

(Star publisher Doug Ernst contributed to this article).

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