Strike Threat Grows at Darigold's Milk Processing Plants

Darigold production workers and lab technicians at the company’s Seattle and Issaquah milk processing plants left federal mediation yesterday on the brink of a labor dispute.

The 220 Teamsters voted unanimously 159-0 to authorize a strike on Saturday, May 21. The workers’ contract expired at midnight on May 31. A final strike vote is tentatively planned for Saturday, July 9.

“Darigold has been a bad actor since locking out its hardworking employees for 9 months back in 2003,” said John Scearcy, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. “The company nearly provoked a strike three years ago, and it appears to be heading down that same road again.”

Teamsters Local 117 is investigating reports from workers that Darigold violated federal law by unilaterally changing policies and other working conditions. Workers also report that the company has been doling out massive bonuses to upper management during contract negotiations.

"Teamsters at Darigold have been through this before and won’t be deceived by the company’s provocations and unfair tactics," Scearcy said. “Instead of bargaining a contract our members can ratify, the company is trying to incite a labor dispute. Nobody wants to strike, but these workers are unanimous in their willingness to stand their ground to protect their livelihoods.”

Darigold is owned by over 500 members of the Northwest Dairy Association. Workers at the Issaquah plant make butter, sour cream, and cottage cheese, while workers in Seattle process hundreds of thousands of gallons of milk every year, supplying Costco, Walmart, and other grocery stores throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Teamsters 117 represents 220 workers at the company’s Seattle and Issaquah plants and approximately 16,000 total workers across Washington State.

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Henning Jensen commented 2016-07-01 11:45:06 -0700
It is unfortunate, that it has come to this again and again, with every contract with this so called family owned company! We are NOT treated like family or even assets, we are treated like PARASITES on their bottom line. From the farm workers to the production line workers, we keep our farms and facility’s running 24/7, and work EVERY Holiday. The majority of the employees at these facility’s work a minimum 10-14 hr day, 6-7 days a week! Managements mindset is that, if “THE COWS WORK 7 DAYS A WEEK, WHY SHOULDNT YOU!”
Meanwhile, when all of us are working at their farms and processing facility’s 24/7, you can be assured that the corporate offices are working 9-5, 5 days a week with EVERY HOLIDAY OFF!! They are collecting their SELF IMPOSED CORPORATE BONUSES OFF OF OUR BACKS! The sticking points of the negotiation in my opinion, is NOT about wages and benefits, its about MAINTAINING what little we do have and working conditions and quality life issues that need to be addressed.
It is unfortunate all around, that the threat of a strike, will ultimately become a necessity in these negotiations.
Paul Zilly published this page in Private Sector 2016-07-01 07:30:36 -0700