Sonoma County Farmworkers

[tommy]

The lives of farmworkers is an evolving situation, in light of the Covid-19 virus. The article below, establishes a base for the issues of health and well being of farmworkers in Sonoma County. It's written by Martin J. Bennett, an Instructor Emeritus of History at SRJC, and a member of North Bay Jobs with Justice. It appeared in the March 1, 2020 Sonoma Gazette.

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Sonoma County Gazette:
Sonoma County Farmworkers and A Just Recovery

by Martin J. Bennett

Last year the trade publication Wine Enthusiast recognized Sonoma County as the 'Wine Region of the Year,' and the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association announced that 99 percent of the county vineyards achieved their ‘sustainability’ certification. But the county's farmworkers*****–who produce the wealth of wine country–are mostly invisible to the public. Winegrowers and the media rarely recognize the actual value of their labor, and their contribution to the local economy is seldom acknowledged. Most county farmworkers do not earn a living wage or receive employer-provided health insurance, lack access to affordable housing, and confront dangerous health and safety conditions on the job. A just, equitable and, sustainable recovery from the 2017 and 2019 wildfires must include new public policy and grower initiatives to improve the economic security and general health of farmworkers.

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[Stargazer]

Many of these winery/vineyard owners are continually ruining the environment and many lives with their calloused selfish toxic ways. Additionally they are draining the water tables, dumping toxins like "roundup" into the soil and the waterways while causing health issues to anyone who breathes these toxic chemicals. It is time these irresponsible and greedy wine industry people who do not farm responsibly and organically get boycotted and be publicly embarrassed. The wine industry must be forced to be accountable or get run out of this county. Round up not only causes health problems to the workers, it causes health problems to anyone that lives near these vineyards. Further more, many of these large corporations and vineyard owners do not deserve tax breaks. They need to be taxed more to repair the damage they have created as well as being forced to stop the destruction to all life and the environment. Also the vineyard owners must be mandated to pay a fair wage, give their workers housing and health coverage and farm organically. Publicize who the bad actors are and stop buying their wine. Stop calling our beautiful Sonoma county "Wine Country." It has become "Wino" country which is evidenced by all of the alcoholics that drink wine more than water. Many of these "wino's" are laying on our streets and causing serious accidents on our roads. Let's go back to calling Sonoma county 'The Redwood Empire" and stop cutting all the beautiful trees down to plant more grapes which causes global warming and dangerous drought conditions.

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Sonoma County Gazette:
Sonoma County Farmworkers and A Just Recovery
by Martin J. Bennett