Ben & Jerry’s supports Vermont workers’ unionization drive

By WILSON RING
Associated Press

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s says it supports a plan to unionize by the workers at a retail shop in the same city where the brand was founded. In a Tuesday statement, the ice cream manufacturer known for its commitment to social causes says it shares “the goal of advancing justice, both inside and outside our company.” On Monday, the so-called scoopers at the Burlington, Vermont, shop said they had petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for an election. They have the support of the upstate New York & Vermont chapter of Workers United, the union that started the Starbucks unionization campaign in Buffalo, New York. Ben & Jerry’s is owned by consumer goods giant Unilever.