Abstract
Why and under what conditions would economic agents submit to, or forgo, trade union representation ? Collective action in agriculture since the 19th-20th century has been a means of gaining access to public authorities (and their resources) and establishing an influential public presence. Within the wine sector, however, private winemakers—i.e. not cooperatives—operated without a national union until 1976. Until this date, a national regulatory mechanism allowed them to benefit from guaranteed prices without necessarily forming unions. As regulatory changes unfolded, both at the European and national levels, the impetus for collective action arose to address impacts on their livelihoods and the institutional context for coordination, and indirectly led to the pioneering trade union of the Aude département.