#MiddleburyCT #TranquillityVineyards #VolunteerLabor #GrapeHarvest
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
Tranquillity Vineyard co-owner Paul Vigario, in a September 8, 2026, Facebook post, announced the vineyard wants volunteers to help harvest grapes. Billed as an opportunity to “spend a relaxing morning outdoors and experience a real vineyard harvest,” the post said volunteers would help clip grapes from the vines. It noted no experience was needed for the harvesting weekday mornings until around 2 p.m.
The unpaid positions described as a “peaceful, rewarding and fun way to meet new people” appear to be a violation of Connecticut labor laws. A labor lawyer website lists two key facts:
- “If you run a for-profit enterprise – the government simply will not recognize any person as a volunteer. Anyone working for you is entitled to compensation in accordance with all applicable wage-and-hour laws. If caught and challenged for using volunteers – penalties from the courts and government agencies can be quite high.
- “If a ‘volunteer’ were ever injured on the job – you would likely not have appropriate coverage for them under your workers’ compensation insurance policy if they made a claim for such benefits because you would not have paid premiums to obtain such coverage for them as you would have for your employees.”
AI states, “In Connecticut, a for-profit business cannot legally treat someone as a volunteer if they are performing work that benefits the business. The state’s employment laws follow federal standards under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which generally require that anyone an employer ‘directs or permits to work’ be paid at least the minimum wage and overtime where applicable
The newspaper will reach out to Tranquillity Vineyard for comment. This is a developing story, and more information will be added as it becomes available.
UPDATE 1: The newspaper has contacted the Connecticut Department of Labor and is waiting for a response from its legal department.
