Workers Fighting for Improved Wages, Health Care, Job Security
PAYNESVILLE, Minn., March 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — After nearly a year of negotiations, Teamsters Local 471 members at Associated Milk Producers Incorporated (AMPI) Dairy have been forced out on strike over the company’s unfair labor practices (ULPs). AMPI has refused to take negotiations seriously or present a fair, comprehensive proposal to the workers. The processing and shipping facility is critical for supplying cheese throughout the Midwest.
“AMPI has had more than enough time to do right by these workers, but instead they’ve dragged their feet,” said Lyndon Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer of Local 471. “Our members are united in demanding the wages, health care, and job protections they deserve. We’re prepared to stay out as long as it takes to ensure we get a fair contract.”
Despite Teamsters working for over a year without a raise, AMPI has refused to offer a meaningful wage increase that keeps up with the rising cost of living. The company has rejected proposals that would give workers more flexibility and stability in their health care coverage and has failed to agree to basic employment protections, including a guarantee that if the facility is sold or ownership changes, workers would be able to keep their jobs and union contract.
“When I started at AMPI 18 years ago, this was a place where people built successful careers in a small town to support their families. Too many now see it as just a job, and that has been tough for me to watch,” said Heidi Barg, an 18-year lab technician at AMPI Dairy. “We’re not asking for anything unreasonable. We just want to be fairly compensated and treated with the respect our years of hard work and dedication have earned.”
Teamsters Local 471 represents workers across Minnesota across industries, including dairy processing, warehousing, and distribution. For more information, go to local471.com.
Contact:
Matt McQuaid, (771) 241-0015
mmcquaid@teamster.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 471
