Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream will idle 803 workers at its plant in Laurel, Maryland, from December 20 through January 4. Maryland labor officials logged the notice October 19 as a temporary mass layoff. The state’s note says only that it is a “temporary 2 week layoff for necessary maintenance,” so the workers are expected back, but the pay gap runs through Christmas and New Year’s.
What the Maryland notice says
The notice appears in the Maryland Department of Labor WARN log, the state list of layoffs and closings reported under federal and state advance-notice rules. It names Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, at 9090 Whiskey Bottom Road in Laurel, in Howard County. The listed industry code, 311520, is the federal classification for ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturing.
The effective dates run December 20, 2026, through January 4, 2027. That is a span of two weeks that includes both holidays, which is when a missing paycheck is hardest to absorb. The state does not say whether all 803 workers are idled for the full span or in shifts, and it lists no other detail…