WTF?? Dairy plant in Waukesha abruptly shuts down Saturday

[PeaceNikki]

WAUKESHA, Wis. —The Golden Guernsey dairy facility in Waukesha was abruptly shut down Saturday, according to its employees.

Golden Guernsey was recently bought by a California-based investment company. An employee of the dairy plant, who asked to remain unnamed, said workers at the Waukesha plant were told Saturday morning they were all being laid off immediately.

Lynn Hiemke, owner of Mapleton Dairy Haulers that transports Golden Guernsey products, said the sudden announcement has his business scrambling. "I'm hoping it doesn’t put me out of business. I have like, 13 or 14 employees, and nobody knows, it's just been so sudden," Hiemke said.

Read more: http://www.wisn.com/news/south-east-wisconsin/waukesha/Dairy-plant-in-Waukesha-shuts-down/-/10150328/18024592/-/envc7gz/-/index.html#ixzz2HCzRQTis

Also reported in the Urinal: http://www.jsonline.com/business/golden-guernsey-in-waukesha-suddenly-closes-sources-say-i488vri-185759901.html

Under state law, employers are required to give 60 days' notice of any shutdown to city and state officials, and to pay their workers severance payments for 60 days leading up to a shutdown or mass layoff.

The plant had roughly 100 workers, according to employees.

[Trillo]

1. No notice, eh?

What a terrible example of preparation and planning. I guess there's no reason for an employee to ever give notice.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. This is a shot in the dark...

but could this be part of an effort to inflate dairy prices? I recall that part of the 'Dracula story' being promulgated in the MSM was the end of federal government price subsidies. When that didn't materialize, was Big Dairy disappointed that they weren't able to raise prices to astronomical levels? Losing that opportunity, perhaps lowering capacity is the next best option.

[PeaceNikki]

3. People are blaming DoJ. They forced Deans to sell last year.

http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2011/269072.htm

Or was this investment firm who bought GG in cahoots with Deans to get the business anyway by virtue of shutting down?

I dunno... either way, many in the community are out of work and, in a domino effect, other business may close as well.

GG has been a staple here... sad.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Seems DoJ can pick & choose their targets

Meanwhile, in other sectors, megalithic corporations go unmolested by anti-monopoly legislation.

[LiberalFighter]

8. How about Dean Foods in cahoots with Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen?

[PeaceNikki]

9. And Walker.

How are those 250K jobs coming along, asshole?

[Tien1985]

4. I was wondering

the same thing. When they were going on about prices going up to $7/gallon I was very surprised that we didn't hear more from the Dairy industry. Maybe that was the intention?

[ROBROX]

15. OIL TAKES OUT REFINERIES TO INCREASE COST TO PEOPLE

I hope the state and people get together and take over ownership of this place so they all get something out of nothing.

[LiberalFighter]

5. More info

Open Gate Capital, a Los Angeles private equity firm, bought Golden Guernsey after its former owner, Dean Foods, was required to sell the plant to settle antitrust concerns.

[PeaceNikki]

7. Yeah, wondering if Open Gate was in cahoots w/Deans.

Something sure is fishy......

[Loudly]

10. Eminent domain. Take it and operate it as government owned until further notice.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. Take way too long to do it

Neither the State nor the Federal government has authority to take such actions short of martial law. Even then they cannot command farmers to turn over milk nor the trucks to transport it, or other suppliers to support the operation

Might be easier if they simply brought in zombies

[postulater]

11. Here's some discussion from last night.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014358063

[PeaceNikki]

12. Oh, thank you!! I missed that!

[Wellstone ruled]

14. This is just another Harvesting the dollars and

dumping the debts on the tax payer. Dean Foods is a predator of a company,formed by Texas billionaires to harvest funds out off the grocery industry back in the 1970's. These slugs will just form a new entity to salvage their client base in and around Milwaukee and screw their clients again. It's all about greasing the skids kiddies,and so it goes. W