MONEY MATTERS - Vineyards in the ICE Age
Written by SP Editor
For some years, as I've become part of the "grower" community producing wine grapes in Sonoma County, I've supported a local contest pitting the best vine pruners against one another. It's really a minor thing in the seasonal cycle of a vineyard, but I liked the idea because it was one of the few events that focused on those who work the vines. This farmworker population is one of the least understood while at the same time among the most marginalized in the "ag sector." Like other sectors such as non-union construction and meat processing, vineyard work is not for the faint of heart. Few jobs are year-round, as most of the work depends on how the vines are faring through the arc of a 6 to 8 month growing season, and when the weather will permit certain tasks to be undertaken. If it rains when you might otherwise want to prune, "sucker," or harvest, you risk damage to the vines if you don't wait for a dry spell, so you need a workforce that can be there when you need them. On-demand, if you will, but with a skill set that is undervalued and solely gained by mentorship. Send any fool down the vine rows to prune and you'll suffer the results.
So, some of us involved in our local grower association —mostly focused on promoting our AVA
(American Viticultural Area), Sonoma’s Alexander Valley— decided to create this contest for our pruners to vie for modest cash prizes, winery swag, and such, along with breakfast and lunch. In past years, dozens of folks showed up, Felco shears and sharpening stones in hand. Free food, swag, and a chance at some cash turns out to be a popular draw. Salty old vineyard owners judged the work, timers noted the times, and Spanish-speaking field managers kept the process going smoothly. People had a good time from start to finish, showing pride in their skills just as any artisan would. Separate contests for men and women expanded the reach, and lots of selfies resulted. Just one of those feel-good events. Until this year.
Eerily, beginning in December when vineyard owners and managers began reaching out to our best pruners, the normal response was slow and sketchy. Given that the wine business has been suffering a contraction that preceded any tariffs, we wondered what might be happening. January saw little change. and by mid-February, we counted only 7 registrants-a fraction of any prior year. The only explanation I have is fear of ICE. And it's not just the undocumented among our work force which is dominantly Latino and Spanish-speaking regardless of status. No one in California can avoid the stories of Latino citizens being detained-often violently-by ICE and the Border patrol. As much as one might want some free meals, small cash prizes, and swag, showing up at a publicly advertised event is a risky thing at best.
So, we cancelled the contest.
Now as we all hunker down as much needed rain falls, let's take a look at this workforce. It was created first during WWII and then further in the '50s to fill needed jobs as the draft called many to the war effort. The Bracero program lasted from 1942 to 1964 and was never a success. Cumbersome and expensive, it drew ire and criticism from most in the ag sector, so it was replaced by...nothing. It's not like the past 62 years saw no demand. Crops went into the ground every spring and were harvested every fall in every one of those years. Who did the grunt work all those years? Here's a hint: they weren't Canadian.
During the Bracero years, an infrastructure evolved supporting the movement of mostly Mexican workers north and then south when seasons ended. Loose enforcement at the border, and a complete lack of consequences for employers found to hire undocumented workers, shifted a mix of partly legal Bracero era workers to predominantly undocumented ag workers. In purely economic terms, ag employers had virtually no incentive to alter behavior, as the widespread hiring of undocumented workers kept wages low. DOL/USDA estimates over 40% of ag workers are undocumented. Among vineyard workers, this rises to half.
It is only in this century that enforcement of border crossing bans became political fodder, following efforts by Bush II and others to reform the system. Famously, of course, a bi-partisan effort spearheaded by Sen Lankford (R-OK) held promise until Trump derailed it in 2023, preferring to run for his second term on his factually challenged anti-immigrant argument. Since Lankford's attempt, the Senate has sat on its hands, but the House has a promising effort in the form of the bi-partisar Dignity Act of 2025 (DA25). This bi-partisan bill, introduced by Rep. Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), goes a good deal further than the Lankford proposal by blending border security with various programs to allow Dreamers and undocumented workers to achieve permanent residency and the ability to work. No "path to citizenship" seems to be a condition to secure conservative support and obviates the specious attack that progressives "are bringing in illegals to cheat in elections."
It also would implement a nationwide mandatory E-Verify program-something major ag employers are sure to oppose, but which seems inevitable in any comprehensive reform effort. DA25 seems to be the best proposal yet designed to garner support from across the spectrum. Progressives won't like some elements, but if there is going to be any future for reform efforts, it's going to look something like this.
So, maybe next year, if something like the DA25 were to pass, we might revive the Pruning Contest to celebrate these skilled folks without whom wineries cannot survive.
Drummond Pike, a frequent Organizers' Forum participant and contributor to these pages, was the founder and CEO of Tides in San Francisco, and continues to be involved in philanthropy and social change.