Sommeliers Speak OutAfter writing an omnibus article on the problems facing the Court of Master Sommeliers, we heard from a number of high-profile sommeliers who really really did not like how we portrayed the court. Below are excerpts of the comments. We removed many of the personal attacks and name-calling from their statements. We also edited comments for clarity and brevity. The full unedited versions are in the comments under the original article: https://www.somm.us/boycott-master-sommeliers/ Following their statements, I have included my response.
Our Response to the Sommeliers Defending the CMSWe understand your concerns surrounding our previous article. The arguments can be distilled to the following:
You are absolutely correct in that an individual is not responsible for their employer’s politics. However, we are not talking about private individuals. We are talking about the board of directors of a non-profit trade organization. Anyone who accepts such a position is bound by very specific duties and ethical obligations. Lets get the technical information out of the way and then talk about their implications. The Court of Master Sommeliers is a 501 C (6) Charity Organization registered in California. According to California Code, Corporations Code – CORP § 5210, the Board is responsible, under the law, for the charity’s acts and omissions. Board members have two basic duties: a duty of care to the corporation and a duty of loyalty. The duty of care is fundamentally about acting prudently. The duty of loyalty is fundamentally about putting the interests of the corporation before the director’s own interests. Under IRS rules, the Court is a nonprofit trade association. As such, it must represent an entire industry and promote the common interests of its members. Furthermore, it must not provide services to individuals the way a for-profit business does.
TL;DR: A significant amount of the CMSa budget is supplied by a major Republican donor, and its board is mostly employed by other Republican donors. Our article was not about shaming individuals for being Republicans. It’s to point out that the Court’s board does not represent its membership at any level. If you are a Democrat, woman, or person of color, you should have much more representation on the board than you do. The claim that the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas (CMSa) is only culpable if there is a direct link to rape and sexual violence is incorrect. The CMSa makes the legal argument that they are the trade association for sommeliers in the restaurant trade. Being a trade association allows them to be a tax-free 501 (c) 6 nonprofit. This is a double-edged sword. In exchange for not being taxed, a trade association is obligated to promote the general interest of its members as well as the entire industry. Let’s take a look at how a similar trade association dealt with rising reports of sexual assault in the workplace during the #metoo movement:
The AHLA spent months working to keep hotel employees safe from assault. The CMSa has the same obligations and a similar workforce but did nothing. As members of the sommelier community, it is up to the CMSa –our trade association– to take a stand on sexual violence. It is perfectly reasonable to critize the CMSa for failing to act on this grave problem. A Final ThoughtWe do not have a political agenda, as some have claimed. We simply want sommeliers to take a long and hard look at the CMSa and demand that it does better. We are not asking for a lot.
If the Court can’t address these issues, then maybe it is time to boycott the Court of Master Sommeliers until they address these systematic shortcomings. The post Opposing Viewpoints from the Sommelier Community appeared first on SOMM • Reviews of Sommelier Courses and Wine Schools. from https://www.somm.us/opposing-viewpoints-from-the-sommelier-community/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About UsSOMM offers reviews of wine schools and sommelier certifications. Ever wine school in the USA is reviewed, from the Court of Master Sommeliers to Wine 101. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |