photo credit: Larry McCombs/flickr
Vineyards in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, near Geyserville.

Earlier this year a Sonoma County vineyard management company agreed to settle a dispute after an investigation from state regulators.

California's Agricultural Labor Relations Board brokered the agreement between Geyserville-based Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, and seven farm workers.

It started with a simple march last summer, with other farm workers and supporters in Healdsburg, calling for $25 an hour wages, but Yolanda Prida and Alejandro Cuevas said, when their employer found out, the issues came quickly.

"[We] initially participated in the Healdsburg march on July 28th," Prida said via translator X'andri Bautista. "By the first week of August [we] started seeing the change in culture. Pictures were taken in the press from that march, and by August those pictures were circulating internally."

Cuevas said when they returned for the start of harvest last year, a few weeks after the July march, working assignments were withheld.

"We had a reunion for all the folks that were going to be participating in the harvest, this is where they select the working groups," Cuevas said via translator. "I was approached by 7:00 a.m. by the supervisors and by 12:00 p.m. I still had no response regarding whether if I was going to be an active participant in the working groups for the harvest that season."

Cuevas said losing work, after six years tending to grape vines for Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, was painful.

"It's unbelievable to see the company act in that way," Cuevas said. "They ostracized me, isolated me, and essentially pushed me out of a job. They had no reason to fire me, but the conditions that I was working in really pushed me to leave."

After losing work, Cuevas filed a complaint with California's Agricultural Labor Relations Board in October 2024. He was joined by six other workers.

The dispute was ultimately resolved by settlement, between workers and Redwood Empire, that will see the company pay over $33,000 in lost wages, for the alleged retaliation.

Participating in worker marchers and speaking in support of improved working conditions are legally protected activities.

Redwood Empire will also remove language in their employment contracts stating that workers who try to negotiate for higher wages will be immediately fired.

While Cuevas said he's taken a job under better working conditions with another company, he said he filed the complaint with fellow workers in mind, not just himself.

"I'm proud of the victory, but the fight continues," Cuevas said. "I would advise my comrades or my co-workers to speak up. To be well informed. We have lawyers that are supporting us. Typically, folks are pushed to sign documents, however, I would advise for folks to be well informed, to speak to lawyers before signing anything."

As part of the settlement, Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, which oversees some 2,200 vineyards, will offer work in the 2025 harvest to the affected workers.

The Agricultural Labor Relations Board will also provide training on the Agricultural Relations Act to company management ahead of the harvest season.

Redwood Empire did not respond to requests for comment from KRCB News, but the company does not admit to any liability as part of the settlement agreement.