Page 53 - Grapevine MayJune 2021_REV

Around The Vineyard

Atlas developed training programs that were rolled
out to the personnel to promotes a sense of com-
munity and teamwork. Future training in larger
formats include employees in their own cars like a
drive-in movie. Communication has always been a
challenge for the business and the pandemic forced
the staff to be out of their comfort zone of relying
on in-person meetings. Tony mentioned that he
was vaccinated as he is a member of the board of
“La Familia Sana”. La Familia Sana, a grassroots
organization in Northern Sonoma County with the
mission of providing health and wellness through
education, direct support and advocacy to Latinx
and Indigenous communities.

This group has been providing education to farm-
workers about COVID prevention, vaccine safety,
and how and where to get the immunized. The
plan is to develop a brochure to encourage work-
ers to become vaccinated against the COVID virus.
Atlas hopes to organize on site group vaccinations
for workers willing to get immunized. The response
to illness in the pandemic has helped the company
to slow down and get away from the workaholic
mentality. They have learned that pushing people
to come to work when not feeling well can spread
disease. In his words “workaholics transmit dis-
ease”. The year 2021 will bring a new way of work-
ing, for example: meeting in trucks rather than in
the office. Fires and Pandemic have made every-
one closer and stronger, more efficient, personally
and in business.

According to Tony Bugica, safety is important, no
grape is worth a person’s life, so the workers were
asked to slow down or even stop when there was
any risk.

Craig Ledbetter stressed that agriculture is not a
one size fits all. Communication was number one
key to successful implementation of the company’s
plan. Clearly, field operations are very different
from office operations. Changes had to be imple-
mented from day one. They determined who
could or could not work outside of the office. The
company has many individual offices. People who
had to stay in their offices could keep their win-
dows open. In addition, the company invested un
ventilation upgrades to make sure that the air was

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