Workers at the flagship Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont, have launched a bid to unionize, saying that they lack a voice in workplace decisions.
The group formed a union organizing committee and petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to hold a vote on unionization. The workers are organizing with Workers United, the same union that launched the Starbucks Corp. organizing campaign.
The workers, known as scoopers, said they are looking for greater input on staffing, pay, health and safety issues. Workers currently aren’t represented on the Ben & Jerry’s independent board, and this would be the first union for retail Ben & Jerry’s workers, said Jaz Brisack, organizing director with Workers United Upstate New York and Vermont.
