Ben & Jerry's ice cream scoopers have scored a key pledge from the company as part of their quest to form a union at the flagship Burlington store.

The company's decision to agree to a list of "fair election principles" allows the 40 or so employees to form a union more quickly and potentially without holding a formal election.

Scoopers for one of Vermont's most famous companies announced their progress on Friday during a rally on the city's cobblestoned Church Street Marketplace, where they were joined by labor leaders and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).



"I'm very proud that we have here in Vermont a company like Ben & Jerry's, that has long stood for progressive principles, today saying they're willing to sit down and negotiate a good contract with their workers," Sanders said.
The Burlington scoopers plan to join a New York-based chapter of Workers United, the same union behind the organizing drives at Starbucks coffeeshops around the country, including a location in South Burlington.

Unlike Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks and other large companies that claim to have a social justice mission have resisted their workers' efforts to organize and refused to adhere to the slate of fair election principles, said Richard Bensinger, a nationally known labor activist and organizer who spoke at the event.
The scoop shop employees announced their intent to organize earlier this month, explaining that they felt exploited and demanding a greater say in the terms of their employment. They called on the specialty ice cream purveyor to better reflect its social justice mission in the workplace and embrace the union effort.

"We are incredibly proud of them for working with us in this manner," scooper Rebeka Mendelsohn said on Friday.

Ben & Jerry's owns and operates scoop shops on Church Street and at its Waterbury factory. More than 200 franchised shops serve up the company's unusual flavors across the country.

Ben & Jerry's posture toward the union offers a model for other corporations to follow, said Adam Franz, a barista at the South Burlington Starbucks where workers voted last year to unionize but have yet to obtain a contract.

"America today is at a crossroads. Inequality is higher than it's been for decades, with skyrocketing prices and stagnant real wages coinciding with ever-increasing profits for the rich and powerful," Franz said. "However, across the nation, workers have not taken this challenge lying down."

During the event, a barista from Black Cap Coffee & Bakery, a local chain with a coffeeshop on Church Street, announced that 23 workers at the Burlington location are also taking steps to unionize. They informed their bosses earlier on Friday, barista Kelemua Summa said.
"We are proud of and inspired by our neighbors here on Church Street and hope that our company will follow the example set by Ben & Jerry's when considering how to respond to our demands to be heard," Summa said.

In a statement provided via text message, Black Cap owner Laura Vilalta-Novell said she recognizes workers' right to unionize. "We will be looking at everything," she wrote.