TUE AM News: B&G Foods ‘refusing’ a fair deal amid strike in Stoughton, union says; Lumber businesses getting $2.46M in USDA loans

March 24, 2026

— Dozens of B&G Foods workers in Stoughton have voted to strike as the employer is “refusing to agree to a fair deal” amid contract negotiations, a union spokesperson said.

Teamsters Local 120 yesterday announced members voted to go on strike as they “fight for fair wages, affordable health care, and improved working conditions” at what they call an understaffed facility. Nearly all of the 59 workers in the unit voted in favor of striking.

“Teamsters are currently negotiating a new contract that would keep up with the rising cost of living in the Madison area,” the spokesperson said in an email, arguing “it is entirely up to the company to come to the table with a reasonable proposal, or Teamsters Local 120 members may be forced to strike.”

New Jersey-based B&G Foods, which has dozens of retail brands, reported more than $1.8 billion in net sales in fiscal year 2025. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike.

Workers at its Stoughton site want to include “successorship” language in a new contract to require any new owner of the facility to honor the existing union contract if the company is sold. The union says workers are pushing for this “stronger contract language to protect their future.”

The employees are also seeking guarantees from B&G Foods around automation, to make sure the technology isn’t deployed to replace jobs at the Stoughton facility. The company currently has a job posting on LinkedIn for an automation specialist position, though it’s at a different facility in Iowa.

Shaun Mullikin, a business agent with Teamsters Local 120, claims the company is taking advantage of its Stoughton workforce.

“Meanwhile, workers are dealing with long hours and rising costs, while the company refuses to make basic improvements,” Mullikin said in a statement. “Fair pay, decent health care, and reasonable hours shouldn’t be a fight — but right now, they are.”

Meanwhile, chief steward and union member Traci Gosda said the workers have “given so much to this company” and just want fairness and stability in return.

“We’re standing together to make sure this is a place where people can build a decent life, and not just get by,” she said.

See the union’s release.

— Two Wisconsin lumber businesses are getting $2.46 million in funding through a USDA guaranteed loan program.

The agency yesterday announced $115.2 million in total funding going to recipients in eight states from the Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program.

That includes a $1.66 million loan for Delaneys Trees and Tires in Monroe County, which plans to expand timber processing with new equipment and acquire more real estate with the funding, according to details from the USDA. The project, which aims to bring new revenue, is expected to create three jobs and save 12 jobs.

The other $800,000 loan is going to Timber Professionals Cooperative Enterprises in Shawano County, supporting an effort to re-open a sawmill there. The recipient will use the loan funding to buy at least 49 acres of real estate as well as equipment to improve its wood chip production efficiency. The company also plans to make “higher-value products” from the same raw materials, and expects to create six jobs.

The loans going to these Wisconsin companies are the smallest among those announced yesterday, with others ranging from $1.73 million to $25 million.

See the full list of loan recipients.

— WEDC has rolled out $2 million in new funding for groups supporting entrepreneurs in the state through the inaugural round of Small Business Technical Assistance grants.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. yesterday announced 20 organizations offering technical and financial help to entrepreneurs are getting funding through the program.

Grant dollars will impact more than 2,000 people and businesses in Wisconsin, going toward operations, training, events, programming and more, the agency says.

Two recipients are getting the largest grant awards, with $200,000 each. BizStarts Milwaukee, which has created a model for launching and driving small business growth, plans to expand to Beloit and La Crosse this year. The other, the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, provides in-person training for business owners and connects them with advisors.

Meanwhile, the Food Finance Institute is getting $195,000 for its fellows program, which pairs participants with business development coaches for help with planning, financial management and more.

Other recipients are getting grants ranging from $150,000 down to about $17,000 on the low end.

See the full list of recipients.

— Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez slammed Republicans in Congress for failing to extend ACA premium tax credits as thousands of Wisconsin residents are losing coverage under the program.

Speaking yesterday during an online news conference organized by Protect Our Care Wisconsin, the former nurse and Dem candidate for governor noted Affordable Care Act insurance premiums have doubled or tripled for some in Wisconsin since the enhanced tax credits went away.

More than 22,000 state residents have lost coverage under the ACA since the start of the year, Rodriguez said.

“These cuts being instituted by the current administration will shift providers from being proactive with their patients to being reactive, putting health care providers on their heels, putting a large strain on emergency services,” she said.

She called for continuing advocacy on behalf of “the small business owner, the farmer, the teacher and the neighbor who must decide between health care coverage and whether they can eat lunch.”

GOP guv candidate Tom Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin’s 7th CD, said Dems masked the rising cost of Obamacare subsidies by “giving billions in pandemic-era subsidies to insurance companies.”

“Another bailout for rich insurers isn’t the answer, and neither is expanding government-run health care like Sara Rodriguez proposes, which would force taxpayers to pick up even more of the bill,” Tiffany said. “The solution is choice, price transparency, and competition so families can find affordable plans that work for them.”

Also during yesterday’s call, Milwaukee-area social worker and mother Jessica Seawright said the ACA has been a “lifeline” for her.

“It ensured that my midwife, my prenatal visits and my son’s entry into this world were covered,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez weighed in on the recent passage of legislation extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year in the state, calling it “quite remarkable” that Wisconsin was among the last two U.S. states to make the change. Every state other than Arkansas has now extended postpartum Medicaid coverage in this way, she noted.

“It was a bipartisan bill, and there were Republicans that acknowledged that this was a need within our community,” she said.

Responding to a question from a reporter about the prospects for expanding BadgerCare, Rodriguez said she’s “excited to be able to come into this next election cycle to make sure that we’ve got individuals who want to make sure people have health care.” She noted Wisconsin is one of 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid.

“If you ask Wisconsinites whether they want us to expand Medicaid overall to cover more people, the majority say yes,” she said.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— UW-Whitewater’s College of Business and Economics has launched a new “podcast network” with multiple shows showcasing students, faculty, research projects and more.

The university recently announced Warhawk Business Voices will feature “Dean’s Table,” with Dean Paul Ambrose speaking with business leaders, alumni and others for the show. Another show, “Innovation Exchange,” will highlight ties between businesses and the university.

Others include: “Warhawk to Warhawk,” a peer-to-peer platform for students; “Flight Path,” focusing on international business and global experiences; “Campus Pulse,” detailing programs and elements of college life; and “CoBE Navigator,” providing guidance for students and their families.

“Warhawk Business Voices is more than a podcast network — it’s a way for our college to tell its story in the voices of the people who live it every day,” Ambrose said in the release.

See the announcement and find the podcasts here.

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from the latest WisBusiness column by manufacturing expert Buckley Brinkman.

— Wisconsin is racing into AI – and the opportunities are multiplying fast. The pace continues to amaze me – even as it occasionally spins your head. Three trends are crystallizing, and they matter:

• AI technology isn’t hard to understand or use. It’s just critical to staying personally and commercially competitive.

• Unique AI specialties are emerging in different regions of the state. All of them are useful and none of them are comprehensive – making it urgent that we think and act Wisconsinbly toward AI.

• Effective AI adoption destroys old paradigms, forcing new approaches and upending established heuristics.

These trends will change Wisconsin, and our actions will determine whether we lead or follow.

Read the full column.

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