Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/365438
W i n e s & V i n e s s e P T e M B e R 2 0 1 4 21 S E P T E M B E R N E W S S anta Rosa, Calif.—With a large percentage of native Spanish speakers working in California vineyards, knowl- edge of specialized terms can ease on-site, day-to-day communica- tion between management and vineyard laborers. Just as those who know "menu Spanish" may have difficulty con- versing about business en espa- ñol, even English-speakers who are fluent in Spanish may encoun- ter difficulties with the specialized language of the vineyard. Leonela V. Santiago owns Santa Rosa-based Lingua Franca Acad- emy, which teaches Spanish and English to adults in small class settings. Lingua Franca has been working for two years with a major Sonoma County winery (which Santiago did not specify due to corporate restrictions). "While you may not have time to learn Spanish with harvest right around the corner, becoming fa- miliar with the most essential harvest-related words can ease communication," she said. Santiago has observed that the Spanish-speaking vineyard work- ers are "extremely motivated" to learn English. Some attend day- time courses after working harvest nightshifts. Although the classes are not currently intermingled, "We rec- ommend that students find part- ners they can work with" for in- teractive learning, Santiago said. —Jane Firstenfeld S an Francisco, Calif.—The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) secured a compli- ance agreement from Wente Vine- yards following a labor practices investigation of the company's longtime farm labor contractor Abel Mendoza. Contractor Mendoza has been working for Wente for more than 20 years and was found to be in violation of wage and transporta- tion regulations under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, according to Al- berto Raymond, assistant district director for the DOL's Wage and Hour Division. Mendoza has agreed to comply and been ordered to pay $24,000 in back pay. For its part, Wente has agreed to review wage statements and time records, crosscheck these every calendar month and provide its findings to the DOL. The winery will also request evidence that drivers who transport laborers to its worksites hold valid drivers licenses. "Wente should be recognized for stepping up and forming this agreement…assuming responsibil- ity for its labor contractors," Ray- mond said. —Jane Firstenfeld U.S. Labor Department Fines California Vineyard Contractor Useful Spanish for Wine Grape Harvest Season Palabras Para La Cosecha Grapes: Uvas (ooh-vas) Cluster: Racimo (rah-see-moh) Varietal: Variedad (bar-ee-eh-dad) Grape shears/scissors: Cizalla/tijeras de uvas (see-sai-jah/tee-hair-ahs) Picking bins: Cajas de piscar (kah-has de peace-kar) Valley bins: Gondolas (gohn-doh-las) Forklift: Montacargas (mohn-tah-kar-gahs) Harvest: Cosecha (ko-seh-cha) Scale: Báscula (bas-coo-lah) to cut: Cortar (kor-tar) to load: Cargar (kar-gar) to pick: Piscar (peace-kar) to weigh: Pesar (peh-sar) ton: Tonelada (toe-neh-la-da)