This week, Californian wine workers vote on a contract proposal from winery owners.
本周,加州葡萄酒商就酒厂老板的合同提案进行表决。
The workers have now been on strike for six weeks.
工人们已罢工六周。
The contract proposal calls for cuts in wages and cuts in benefits.
合同建议要求削减工资和福利。
The prospects for rank and file approval seem slim.
审批文件的前景似乎渺茫。
A central issue of the strike is the economic well-being of the california wine industry.
此次罢工的核心问题是加利福尼亚葡萄酒业的经济福利。
William Drummond reports.
威廉·德拉蒙德报道。
A gondola containing tons of freshly picked Chardenay grapes is dumped into a hopper as the process begins for bottling the 1986 vintage.
一艘载满数吨新鲜采摘的霞多丽葡萄的贡多拉货船把它们倒入料斗中,开始给1986年的葡萄酒装瓶。
The harvest has continued despite the fact that more than two thousand winery workers have struck twelve of the biggest wineries in Northern and Central California.
尽管有超过二千名酿酒工人,在加利福尼亚北部和中部最大的12家酿酒厂举行罢工,但这样的大丰收仍在继续。
Relying on automated plants and non-union labor,
靠自动化工厂和非工会劳动力,
members of the Winery Owners' Association have succeeded in carrying on what looks like business is usual.
酿酒厂业主协会的成员成功地将工作继续推进了下去,生意正常进行。
But out on the picket line, union worker Pat Scoley is anything but pleased.
但在警戒线外,工会工人帕特·斯克里一点也高兴不起来。
"I guess they're doing all right.
“我猜他们一切进展顺利。
If they aren't, they want us to think they are.
即便不是,他们也希望我们认为如此。
I hope to hell they aren't between you and me."
我希望他们不会站在你我之间。”
The union contract expired at the end of July, which is the beginning of the harvest,
工会合同七月底到期,恰逢收获时节,
the time when wine makers usually need all the help they can get.
葡萄酒制造商通常会倾尽全力寻求帮助。
But many plants are like the Charles Kruge Winery, which has been completely automated.
但许多如查尔斯·克鲁格这样的酒厂,已完全实现了自动化生产。
Owner Peter Mondaby says the strike has no effect on producing the product.
老板彼得·曼达比说,罢工对生产没有影响。
"We feel that we can go on indefinitely, because there's a lot of people who want to work.
“我们觉得我们可以无限期地维持下去,因为有很多人想要工作。
And it's only a question of training these people and, of course, with the system that we have,
问题只不过在于我们需要对这些人进行培训,根据我们现有的体系,
very well computerized, that they can fit in with a reasonable amount of training, that they can fit in.
很好地计算机化,给到一个合理的训练量,他们可以适应。
So, I mean, we're not concerned about it."
所以,我的意思是,我们不在意它。”
Actually, the heavy rainfall several days ago in the Napa Valley seemed to disturb the owners more than the strike.
事实上,比起罢工,似乎几天前在纳帕谷的大雨更使业主们感到不安。
Mondaby produces around a million cases a year, super premium brands under the Charles Kruge label, mid-range premium wines and jug wines.
曼达比的产量大约每年一百万例,包括查尔斯·克鲁格旗下的高档葡萄酒,中档优质葡萄酒和壶酒。
Mondaby says the industry took a beating during the last several years because of cheap wine imports from Europe.
曼达比说葡萄酒产业在过去几年里遭受打击,由于欧洲廉价葡萄酒进入国内市场。
Even though Americans today are drinking more wine chiefly in the form of wine coolers,
尽管现在美国人饮用葡萄酒,更多情况下饮用的是葡萄酒类果汁饮品,
wine makers say there's not that much profit in the coolers, and they're still in a financial pinch.
但葡萄酒制造商说葡萄酒类果汁饮品里面没有太多利润,他们在财政上仍然处于拮据状态。
"I feel that the industry has hit its low point and now is on the uptrend.
“我觉得这个行业已经触底,现在正处于上升趋势。
Of course, it's not an uptrend that you will see overnight, but it is a healthy uptrend in a gradual growth manner now.
当然,这种上升趋势并不会发生在一夜之间,但它是一个渐进的健康上升趋势。
But I wouldn't necessarily say a greater profitability because the profit is very, very marginal.
但我不一定是说利润更大,因为利润非常非常薄。
The volume is there, it's true, but the profit is very, very marginal."
成交量是有的,这是真的,但利润非常非常薄。”
Mondaby's marginal profit argument does not win much support among stricking workers,
曼达比关于超薄利润的说法并没有在工人中赢得更多的支持,
like Hannah Stofkton, who works in the bottling plant at Christian Brothers.
像汉纳·斯托弗科顿,他在Christian Brothers装瓶厂工作。
"I don't believe it, because I read the paper every day, and I listen to the news.
“我不相信,因为我每天都读报纸,我听新闻。
I mean, there has been increase in sale.
我的意思是,销售额增加了。
I mean, I believe three or four years back,
我的意思是,我相信三年或四年前,
we had a slump in the industry. But wine is coming back.
我们经历了葡萄酒行业的萧条期。但现在这个行业正在回归。
Now they are coming out with wine coolers; they are making money.
现在他们推出了葡萄酒类果汁饮品;他们在赚钱。
We don't want a raise; we just want to keep what we've got."
我们不想加薪,我们只想保住我们既得的利益。”
Wages for workers in the winery industry range from around eight dollars to fifteen dollars an hour.
酿酒厂工人的工资从每小时八美元到十五美元不等。
The union was willing to give up a slight reduction in wages, but refused to accept cuts in the pension and health benefits.
工会愿意接受工资的降低,但拒绝接受削减养老金和健康福利。
The employers reportedly want a twenty percent reduction in the wages and benefits package.
据说,雇主希望工资和福利待遇有一个20%的降低。
Winery owners say the union has to recognize that overall costs have increased.
酿酒厂老板说,工会必须承认总成本增加了。
"Not only is your gross down; the competition has forced us to increase marketing and advertising, which is further eroding whatever margin was there."
“不仅是你的总利润额下降了,竞争迫使我们增加了市场及广告投入,这让利润进一步降低了。”
David Spalding is general manager of a winery in Calistoga.
戴维·斯伯丁是卡利斯托加一家酒厂的总经理。
Spaulding Vineyards is tiny compared to Charles Kruge and Gallo, and Spaulding Vineyars is not on strike,
相比于查尔斯·克鲁格和加洛,斯伯丁葡萄园很小,斯伯丁葡萄园的工人们没有举行罢工,
but David spaulding says he faces the same market forces as the big guys.
但戴维·斯伯丁说,他和那些大酒厂一样,面临着同样的市场压力。
"I think the big problem is the same problem that faces agriculture all over this country; and that is surplus.
“我认为我们所面临的最大的问题和全国的农业所面临的一样;那就是过剩。
You know we are producing more and producing it more efficiently, and we have a production that exceeds the demand in the market."
你知道我们生产的更多,生产效率更高,而且我们的产品超过了市场的需求。”
Spaulding says wine coolers have taken up some of the over-production, but not all of it.
斯伯丁说,葡萄酒类果汁饮品占了生产过剩的一部分,但不是全部。
As for the union leaders, they don't think it's a good idea to give back wages and benefits when the demand for the product is on the increase.
至于工会领导人,产品市场需求还在增长,他们并不想归还工资和福利待遇。
Winery workers are voting all this week on the wages and benefits cuts proposed by management.
酿酒工人们本周一直在就管理层所提出的削减工资和福利一事进行投票。
Jerry Davis is an official of the union.
杰里·戴维斯是工会的一位领导。
"From the people I talked to today and what the negotiating committee is stating, we ask a NO vote on this proposal."
“根据今天与我谈话的人和谈判委员会所说的话,我们要求对这项提案投反对票。”
The results are expected to be known by Thursday.
预计结果将于星期四公布。
For National Public Radio, I'm William Drummond reporting.
国家公共广播电台,威廉·杜拉蒙德报道。