Apr 1, 2004 12:00 PM

Teamsters in Lynden and Chehalis WA will honor the extension of pickets by locked-out Teamsters Local 66 members after the dairy processor Darigold's refusal of union proposals during negotiations March 2. Darigold is a division of WestFarm Foods, the subsidiary through which the Northwest Dairy Association markets its products.

Fred Gegare, Teamsters National Dairy Conference director and international vice-president, negotiated directly with John Underwood, interim Darigold chief executive officer.

Teamsters Local 66 members' contract with Darigold expired July 31, 2003. Darigold then fired 14 warehouse employees and outsourced the jobs of another 60 drivers. The lockout of 200 of Darigold's production workers began a month later.

Headquartered in Seattle WA, WestFarm Foods is one of the largest dairy processors in the United States with annual sales of more than $1 billion. The subsidiary operates 11 plants serving 762 dairy farm families.