Workers charge 'BS' as strike at St. Albans dairy plant heads into second week
Source: VT Digger
Lt. Governor John Rodgers, raised on a dairy farm, appeared on the picket line last weekend and has offered to participate in the union’s negotiations with the Dairy Farmers of America.
by Charlotte Oliver September 30, 2025, 4:26 pm
ST. ALBANS CITY —- On Tuesday, Dairy Farmers of America workers showed up to strike for the sixth day on Federal Street and stood with picket signs, their backs facing the towering silos and white warehouses where they usually work.
The workers, part of the Vermont Teamsters Local 597 union, went on strike Thursday in a push for higher pay and what they consider to be a more fair overtime work policy. Employees are asking for an 8% increase in hourly wages. And after Lt. Governor John Rodgers visited the picket line Sunday, he said in an interview that he could be getting personally involved in negotiations.
Union members have been bargaining with the Kansas based dairy company since June, said Curtis Clough, the union’s organizer.
Then, earlier this month, the company hired a number of temporary employees in non-union roles, which the teamsters considered to be an act of bad faith, said Dustin Reed, a teamster on strike.
Members of the Teamsters local 597 union picket outside the Dairy Farmers of America plant in St. Albans on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2025/09/30/workers-charge-bs-as-strike-at-st-albans-dairy-plant-heads-into-second-week/