After nearly two weeks on the picket line, workers at a St. Albans dairy plant ratified a contract with their employer Dairy Farmers of America.
The contract was formally ratified on Tuesday afternoon, marking an end to a bargaining process with the company that extended back to June and resulted in a strike.
The St. Albans factory produces milk into cream and condensed and powdered milk for Vermont vendors like Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot, Kate’s Butter and more.
Workers walked off the job on Sept. 26 when the Kansas-based dairy company started to “dig in” on provisions, according to Curtis Clough, president of Vermont Teamsters Local 597, who previously told Vermont Public the company was “brutal” to work for.
Dairy Farmers of America had defended its position, saying in statements it was “negotiating in good faith” with the union and that the strike “compromised” farmers in the community.
As part of the deal approved Tuesday, the union secured a 14.5% wage increase over the next 22 months. The dairy company will also contribute more to retirement and to health insurance.
Union members were pushing to end mandatory overtime that extended their shifts into 12-hour-long work days during deliberations. The contract eliminates the option to schedule or assign members these 12-hour shifts; they must be voluntary.
“The St. Albans creamery stood up to a really tough employer, a nationwide employer,” Clough told Vermont Public after Tuesday’s vote. “They stood their ground, they fought back and they won great wage and benefit increases and great enhancements to their working conditions. I'm really proud of everybody that stood on the picket line and we're happy that the members ratified through contracts today that will put some of these improvements into place.”
The union went back to work on Tuesday evening. Clough estimates that at least eight loads of product were lost throughout the strike. The factory was only at 10-20% operation during the strikes, he said.
Dairy Farmers of America celebrated the agreement in a statement released Tuesday.
“We appreciate the dairy farm families who have invested in this plant and these jobs, which allow us to work together to provide fresh, nutritious dairy to our customers and the local communities and schools that rely on us,” said spokesperson Kim O’Brien.
“This new contract supports our employees and their families with competitive wages and benefits, while also ensuring the long-term success of our farmer-owners, their Cooperative and the consumers across Vermont we serve,” she continued.
According to Clough, the contract language is now up to par with similar contracts across the country. The Teamsters have launched a nationwide campaign to bargain for contract provisions like protection of employees, the right to observe picket lines and universal language about contract expiration dates — all of which was secured in the St. Albans dairy plant contract, he said.
