In The News Two Buck Chuck in the News...

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and it's not pretty...

The Cleveland Free Times :: News :: Chatter :: Putting The Can't In Canton

Perhaps it makes you feel like the responsible upper-cruster to peruse the oft-glutted aisles of your friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's, buying organic guacamole in Earth-friendly containers for just a few cents more than discount prices. But you should know about all the sweat pouring to facilitate your check-out peace of mind.
Case in point: A California family sued Merced Farm Labor Contractors last week after Maria Isabel Vasquez-Jimenez, a two-months-pregnant 17-year-old from Mexico, died of heat stroke in May after working nine hours in a vineyard without proper hydration or shade breaks. It took two hours for management to get her to the hospital, according to the Sacramento Bee. She was the 10th migrant to die from the heat in four years.
Merced provides migrants for Fred Franzia's Bronco Wineries operation, which is the sole provider of Trader Joe's $1.99 "Two-Buck Chuck" wine, officially named Charles Shaw. Bronco is also part-owner of the vineyard where Vasquez-Jimenez met her end. Trader Joe's has exclusive rights to distribute the surprisingly un-Thunderbird-like hooch.
The United Farm Workers of America - the lasting legacy of another famous grape-picker, Cesar Chavez - argues that Trader Joe's has the power to leverage change, what with an estimated $720 million being made on the 360 million bottles of the stuff sold in just six years of production. UFW is asking the company to pressure vendors to follow worker safety legislation already on the books.
"We all know that even a just law is only a piece of paper unless it can be enforced," said UFW president Arturo Rodriguez in a recent speech. "There has never been adequate enforcement of laws protecting farm workers, under either Democratic or Republican administrations."
As of press time, Trader Joe's only response had been to point out that it doesn't own the vineyard or the contracting company allegedly responsible for Vasquez-Jimenez's death, and that more than just Two-Buck Chuck is made from the grapes harvested there. And while that may be true, it hardly responds to the UFW's challenge, earning it the Wal-Mart Medal for Evasive Publicity. - Dan Harkins

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Recordnet.com: Labor union seeks Trader Joe's assistance

United Farm Workers last week launched a campaign asking food retailer Trader Joe's to toughen its vendor policies.


The labor union is connecting the grocery chain to the May 16 death of Lodi resident Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, who collapsed May 14 while pruning in a West Coast Grape Farming vineyard in Farmington.


The connection: West Coast Grape Farming is owned by the Franzia family, which also owns Bronco Wine Co., which produces Charles Shaw wines. The selection of wines, sometimes known as Two Buck Chuck, are exclusively sold at Trader Joe's, which caters to health-conscious consumers. Trader Joe's has a store in Lincoln Center in Stockton.


Jimenez, 17, was under the supervision of Merced Farm Labor, the contractor who supplied the vineyard's labor.


"We commend Trader Joe's for having a cage-free policy for eggs sold. It speaks to the concerns for the chickens. We simply ask that they consider a dialogue with us, so they enact a similar policy for farm worker employees. Farm workers deserve the same type of protection," said Roman Pinal, a union organizer.


The criticism isn't stopping some frequent patrons.


"I like cooking healthy. Here I find fair prices, a lot of healthy and foreign foods you can't find at other grocery stores," Emmanuel Aguayo, a 20-year-old San Joaquin Delta College student, said Wednesday afternoon.
However, Aguayo worries that the store's image of promoting health might be tarnished if it doesn't accept responsibility. Merced Farm Labor had been cited in 2006 for heat violations. The state revoked its license after Jimenez's death and has placed its owners under investigation. The San Joaquin County coroner classified her death as an occupational heat death.
Alison Mochizuki, a Trader Joe's spokeswoman, said in a written statement that the vineyard where Jimenez pruned does not supply grapes for Charles Shaw wines.


"The company employing the young farm worker has no more of a relation to Trader Joe's than they do to any other wine retailer or restaurant," Mochizuki said.


The union's "Tell Trader Joe's to Chuck the Excuses" campaign asks supporters to sign a statement and send it to the grocer via e-mail.
Mochizuki said the company already implements strict policies for its vendors.


"Our vendors have a strong record of providing safe and healthy work environments and we will continue to make certain that our vendors are meeting, if not exceeding, government standards," Mochizuki said.
Pinal called the reply a "disheartening attempt to try to distance themselves."