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Wisconsin Ag News Headlines |
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Golden Guernsey Plant Abruptly Closes in Waukesha
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 01/08/2013
The Golden Guernsey dairy plant in Waukesha has apparently closed down over the weekend without notice, leaving over a hundred people without work and many state school districts scrambling to find milk for their students to drink. A memo from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development said
that the state has taken the initial steps to assist workers affected by the unanticipated closure of the facility.
"Clearly, the closure of the plant was unexpected for the employees and the Waukesha community, and the abrupt nature of the act is particularly troubling," said State Commerce Secretary Reggie Newson said. "We want the workers to know that we are here to support them and are working as quickly as we can to initiate services that will assist them and their families during this uncertain and difficult time."
Local media reports say that employees were not warned of the closing in advance, and that some have already filed legal complaints. State law requires companies that employ 50 or more people in Wisconsin to give 60 days notice before a mass layoff or closing.
The facility is currently owned by a Los Angeles-based private equity firm called OpenGate Capital. They purchased the operation in September 2011 when Dean Foods was ordered to sell it after losing an anti-trust settlement. The Waukesha facility is one of two plants Dean Foods purchased from Foremost
Farms USA in 2009. But after that sale, the Attorneys General of Illinois and Michigan challenged the acquisition, claiming the transaction lessens the competition in the fluid and school milk markets in violation of the federal law.
The Golden Guernsey location bottled and distributed dairy products to schools, grocery stores, convenience stores and major retailers in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. The company was founded in the Milwaukee area in 1930.
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