Sign petition supporting Darigold workers who may face lockout

The following is an open letter from Henning Jensen, a production worker at Darigold, where a contract vote is set for this Wednesday, Oct. 30 on the company’s final offer. You can show your support for Henning and the rest of the Darigold workers by signing this petition and telling Darigold management to stop mistreating workers and stop breaking the law:

Sisters and Brothers:

I’m a production worker at Darigold’s milk plant in Seattle. I have worked there for over 25 years. It’s my job to process the milk that gets to your family’s table and is served at schools and hospitals throughout the Pacific Northwest.

I’m also a rank-and-file member of the Teamsters 117 bargaining committee.

Like our brothers and sisters in the grocery stores, my co-workers and I have been in tough negotiations with our employer for the last several months.

Throughout the negotiations, Darigold has tried to threaten and divide us. The company has fired union supporters, engaged in illegal surveillance of workers, and bargained in bad faith.

Despite Darigold’s efforts to intimidate us, we have stuck together. On September 25, we voted unanimously 161-0 to reject Darigold’s last contract offer.

Darigold has a history of this kind of abuse. Ten years ago, Darigold locked us out. My co-workers and I were denied the opportunity to work for nine grueling months. Some of us had to file for bankruptcy; marriages were destroyed; other workers lost their homes.

Now, Darigold is up to its old tricks. I’ve been told that the company has trained up replacement workers and is housing a large security force in a downtown Bellevue hotel. We believe the company is preparing for another lockout.

On Wednesday, October 30, my co-workers and I will be voting Darigold’s Last, Best, and Final offer. We will provide you with an update after that vote.

In the meantime, please support us by asking your family, friends, and co-workers to sign our ONLINE PETITION.

Only by building the kind of strong community support that helped to achieve tentative agreement for the grocery clerks will we be able to pressure Darigold into doing right by its workers. Thank you for your support.

In solidarity,

Henning Jensen
Darigold Production Worker