BURLINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for St. Albans Creamery to proceed with plans to largely shut down its milk processing plant, lifting a temporary restraining order that had blocked the closure.
U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III issued the five-day restraining order Monday, barring the company from taking further steps to shut down the plant. At a hearing Thursday, attorneys for DFA agreed to leave the plant intact, except to remove hazardous materials from the site.
The company told Judge Sessions that it would not do anything “irreversible” to the plant, such as selling the building or removing any machinery, until the dispute was resolved.
Curtis Clough, president of Local 597, the workers’ union, called the court’s decision a success.
“I feel like that was a big win for the Teamsters up there because they agreed to do exactly what we’ve been looking for in our pleadings,” he said.
Teamsters Local No. 597, which represents about 80 workers, requested the restraining order last Friday, claiming that the company’s decision to close the plant was a retaliatory move in response to a recent strike.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., visited the site Wednesday to rally support for the unionized workers.
DFA President and CEO Dennis Rodenbaugh denied that claim in a letter to Sanders and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch earlier this week.
“The sole rationale for this plant closure is to protect these farm families from the financial damage of an unviable plant and provide them with an opportunity to participate in the best milk markets available in the region,” he wrote.
Both parties will participate in an arbitration process, which could last for several months or longer.
The St. Albans plant and the adjoining St. Albans Creamery & Supply have operated in Franklin County for decades, with the factory producing dairy for Vermont vendors, including Ben & Jerry’s and Cabot Creamery.
The June closure announcement came after St. Albans Creamery & Supply announced it would close its co-op grocery store last summer, transitioning solely into a retail business. It also followed the plant’s unionized workers’ reaching a contract with Dairy Farmers of America in October 2025 after alleging “brutal” working conditions, including mandatory overtime that extended their shifts into 12-hour workdays.
Tsehai Alfred contributed earlier reporting.
