Ben & Jerry’s and Vermont scoop shop employees reach contract agreement

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has reached its first contract agreement with workers at a retail shop in the Vermont city where the company was founded after the employees petitioned to unionize last year. About 40 workers at the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop in Burlington announced last April that they planned to form a union. Ben & Jerry’s, known as much for its social activism as its products, said it supported the workers’ plan. Scoopers United said in a statement on Thursday that “this joint celebration is a testament to the leadership and collaboration required of both parties to create such a monumental first contract.” Ben & Jerry’s is currently owned by consumer goods conglomerate Unilever.