Ben & Jerry’s scoopers vote to form union

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Ben & Jerry’s scoopers at Burlington’s Church Street shop on Tuesday voted to unionize.

Organizers announced the results of the union vote in front of the scoop shop. The union was immediately recognized by the company, which is owned by Unilever.

Rebeka Mendelsohn, a union organizer, says following through on the effort was exciting to watch. “I just feel so much pride, definitely some relief that this is also officially recognized. All this work has been so theoretical up until this point for me but it was just incredible to see our space turned into something so much better than it was before,” Mendelsohn said.

Last month, Ben & Jerry’s signed the Fair Election Principles and agreed to let workers organize. Employees have said that they want fair compensation and a voice in key workplace decisions. Organizers say they also want to help other workplaces on Church Street form labor unions if they are interested.

The next step is getting a labor contract.

Tuesday, they will count the number of workers who signed their union cards.

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Ben & Jerry’s to allow scoop shop unionization effort in Burlington

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