It's been almost a month since Apolinar Rojas and his wife Maria del Rosario Maceda, along with 25 other winery workers, were laid off from their jobs at Charles Krug Winery.

Rojas has taken up some odd jobs around the valley, but he said work is not steady. Maceda said she can't find a job and would be happy to return to Charles Krug.

The reason the two were let go, a dispute between the United Farm Workers and the winery, shows no signs of ending soon.

The Agricultural Labor Relations Board filed a complaint July 11 against Krug and gave the winery 10 days to respond.

Thomas Fossey, Charles Krug's chief financial officer, said Monday that he has not responded to the complaint, at the behest of ALRB General Counsel Michael Lee. Fossey said he visited Lee's office a week and a half ago, and Lee told him, "Don't do anything until we send you more information."

Lee said Monday the board was in the process of amending the complaint.

"There were some things that may have not been clear in regard to our legal theory," he said.

At the center of the dispute is Krug's decision to make physical exams mandatory for all its employees. Under a contract that expired in December, Charles Krug had the ability to give physical tests to its prospective employees, but could not give the tests to current workers.

Fossey said the exams would ensure the safety of all his workers, but UFW officials say the tests are a form of age discrimination and will give Charles Krug a tool to get rid of workers. The union refused to make the change to the contract.

Krug dismissed its 27 union employees July 7, handing farming responsibilities to Jack Neal and Son Vineyard Management.

In response, UFW launched a nation-wide boycott of Charles Krug wines and accused the winery of bad-faith bargaining. When they brought their allegations to the ALRB, the board sided with the union.

The complaint orders Charles Krug to bargain in good faith with the union, compensate the workers for their economic losses, give the workers their jobs back and make available all pay records to ALRB staff.

On Monday, Lee said the amended complaint should reach Charles Krug in less than two weeks.

Meanwhile, Fossey said he sent a severance package to all workers consisting of a week's pay for each year of seniority, but the union rejected it.

"We don't want the crumbs off the table," Maceda said. "We want our jobs back."