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You Wont Miss Italian Swiss

By VVAW

Before going to Vietnam, the G.I. is trained to think and act in a way that makes him superior to anyone the military says is the enemy. The real enemies are, in fact, the corporations who make money off the war, and corporations such as Heublein, Inc. and Bud Antle, Inc. who are exploiting the farm workers in America.

In Vietnam, G.I.s are used to kill Vietnamese people who are fighting the U.S. Government and the corporations. And as the U.S. Government disregards the rights of Vietnamese people, so does the Heublein corporation disregard the rights of the farm workers. Although this corporation made in the area of $17,000,000 in profit this past fiscal year, they steadfastly refuse to pay the minimum wage.

The military and the corporations work hand in hand as demonstrated by the recent buying of scab lettuce for the military bases from Bud Antle in an attempt to break the UFWOC's boycott.

After years of non-violent struggle, including strikes and consumer boycotts, the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee has succeeded in forcing almost all grape growers to sign union contracts which guarantee substantial improvements in wages and working conditions.

Heublein, Inc. (that 'Little Old Winemaker') has refused to sign such a contract. This company is a conglomerate with annual sales of close to $600 million, and which owns 82% interest in United Vintners, a cooperative of 1600 non-union wine grape growers which controls 85,000 acres and processes 460,000 tons of grapes annually. Heublein markets such products as A-1 Steak Sauce, Smirnoff Vodka, and Italian Swiss Colony Wine.

Those of us who were still in the services during the grape boycott remember all those grapes at every meal. During the recent lettuce boycott, the Green Machine bought so much lettuce that there was lettuce with breakfast cereal, and lettuce under the jello. Next they'll be putting Bali-Hai machines in the barracks.