Sanders praises shop workers, Ben & Jerry's on union effort
Workers seeking to unionize at a Ben & Jerry’s retail shop in the city where the ice cream brand was founded announced Friday that the company has signed the fair election principals
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Workers seeking to unionize at a Ben & Jerry's retail shop in the city where the ice cream brand was founded announced Friday that the company has signed the fair election principals.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent who has been a vocal supporter of Starbucks labor organizers, congratulated the Ben & Jerry's workers at a press conference in his home city.
“I'm very proud of the work that these workers have done in coming together to form a union and I'm very proud that we have here in Vermont a company like Ben & Jerry's that has long stood for progressive principals, today saying they're willing to sit down and negotiate a good contract with their workers," Sanders said.
Ben & Jerry's said last week that it supported a plan to unionize by about 40 workers at the retail shop in downtown Burlington.
It said in a statement that it shares “the goal of advancing justice, both inside and outside our company.” The ice cream manufacturer was founded in a former gas station a short distance from the downtown shop.
“That’s why we recognize and support the rights of all workers to unionize and collectively bargain,” the company said. “Ben & Jerry’s is committed to the goal of operating our company in a way that is fair, inclusive, and equitable, while being a dynamic and fun place for all workers.”