MONROE, Wis. (WKOW) -- Workers at a Monroe cheesemaker are striking after new ownership took over and required employees to prove their citizenship.

On August 1, Kansas-based Dairy Farmers of America cooperative officially took over W&W Dairy. As part of that transition, the company began using E-Verify, a federal online system used to check an employee's immigration status and other official information.

This, in turn, caused the strike out of fears that some immigrant employees will be out of work.

W&W Dairy specializes in award-winning Hispanic cheeses. After the new policy asked workers to verify immigration status, some walked out, demanding severance pay after dedicating years — in some cases decades — to W&W Dairy.

"I think it's really great that people stood up for themselves s

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