Grassroots alert for SB 1474 -- card check unionization

Family Winemaker members can copy, then customize and paste the following letter in opposition to SB 1474 (Steinberg).  The bill is now on the Governor's desk for action.  FWC is part of a broad coalition again opposing simplified unionization of agricultural workers.

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
 
 
VETO CARD CHECK: Senate Bill 1474 (Steinberg)
 
 
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
 
As a California vintner and winegrape grower I write to express deep concerns and opposition to Senate Bill 1474 (Steinberg).  This measure would undermine the most fundamental of democratic principles: the right to cast a vote privately and free from intimidation through a secret ballot. 
 
[Insert a brief description of your winery or vineyard here]
 
In the three previous years, you have vetoed similar “card check” measures.  Despite this year’s creative approach and the author’s claims to the contrary, SB 1474 fundamentally seeks to impose a card check system. The intent is the same as in previous years – to strip farmworkers of their right to a secret ballot.
 
In considering SB 1474, I ask that you please take the following into account:
 
•    Workers deserve the right to have unionization be the result of ballots they cast in private. This bill just creates another version of card check, designed to avoid secret ballot elections and deny agricultural employees the right to decide on union representation by secret ballot.
 
•    SB 1474 assumes authorization cards submitted by a union to trigger an election are synonymous with a majority of employees supporting representation by the union. There is no correlation between the two. Employees sign authorization cards for many reasons that have nothing to do with union support, including: to merely call for an election, to stop a union organizer from pestering them for their cards; because they were tricked by misrepresentation about the consequences of signing cards.
 
•    Existing law as expressed by the state Supreme Court authorizes the ALRB to set aside the election and impose a bargaining order where it finds egregious employer misconduct affected the election and a fair rerun election can’t likely be held.  SB 1474 would cast aside this criterion and empower unions to cast multiple allegations, short of an Unfair Labor Practice, to reach a card check outcome.  This is simply a back door path to card check.
 
•    The secret ballot was fundamental in the formation of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board and remains so to this day.
 
•       More than two-dozen business and agricultural organizations also are strongly opposed to the measure and the precedent it would set.
 
Again, we appreciate your attention to these important issues and for the above reasons respectfully request that you again oppose a card-check system for California agriculture by vetoing SB 1474.
 
Sincerely,

Legislative Mission
Family Winemakers of California monitors and lobbies a variety of public policy issues on behalf of its members. Legislation ranging from changes to the tied-house laws (the state’s alcohol laws) to environmental issues that affect winery and vineyard operations must be identified, their impact gauged and action taken.

The scope of the effort is significant. Each year the California Legislature introduces over 2,000 bills. And state agencies, such as the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control or departments within the California Environmental Protection Agency that regulate business activities, formulate new regulations based on recent laws or update old regulations. In addition, Family Winemakers monitors regional regulatory agency activity and federal actions by the Tax and Trade Bureau.

Family Winemakers is sponsoring SB 1101(Wiggins) to expand activities at "meet the winemaker dinners"and SJR 34 (Padilla & Wiggins), which asks Congress to defeat H.R. 5034.  The association is also closely involved in ongoing efforts to defeat per-drink fees on wine (AB 1694 -- Beall).  FWC also has worked to protect winemakers and non-profits from social host third-party liability claims (AB 2486 -- Feuer).

SB 1101 -- Meet the Winemaker Dinners
Sponsored by FWC to allow participating wineries to offer samples from bottles at winemaker dinners in restaurants.  Currently, the law only allows minimal amounts from tanks or barrels.

Sent to Governor in August.