May 15th marked the 80th day of a bitter lockout that has put 61 food service and maintenance workers out of work in Pleasanton. The workers – members of Unite Here Local 2850 – were locked out by Castlewood Country Club in February as it and the union were negotiating a new contract.

Workers and their union had been trying to preserve affordable family health coverage. Prior to the lockout, Castlewood proposed a new contract that would have had low-wage workers paying $739 a month for family coverage. In a counter proposal that was actually cheaper than management's, workers offered to forgo a raise in exchange for preserving affordable family health coverage. But Castlewood did not respond to the union's proposal, opting instead to lockout its workers on February 25th.

Workers and their union have accused Castlewood of union busting and starvation tactics. “We think the real reason for the lockout is not about money but about getting rid of the union,” said locked-out worker Angel Melendez.

Castlewood management told Melendez and his coworkers that they could return to work if they got rid of their union. But in a decertification election held shortly after the beginning of the lockout, workers voted overwhelmingly to keep their union. “Despite Castlewood's starvation tactics, the workers voted to preserve their union,” said Local 2850 researcher Nischit Hegde. “And everyday they're voting with their feet on the picket line.”

Read more with photos | End the Castlewood Lockout