(WATERBURY, VERMONT) – More than 300 Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Workers who are employed at the St. Albans and Waterbury, Vermont Production Facilities and represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 371 have ratified their first Union contract by an overwhelming majority vote. 

Jeff Johnson, a St. Albans Ben & Jerry’s Bargaining Committee Member with 23 years seniority, said: “I’m so proud of my Co-Workers for sticking together and demanding better.  The Union difference is clear and joining UFCW Local (371) will make a huge difference for us.  Joining the Union’s health insurance (program) and getting consistent wages means hundreds more in each of my Co-Worker’s checks each month and protecting our retirement and our paid time off gives us the security we need in uncertain times.”

Bernie Sweet, Jr., a Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s Bargaining Committee Member with seven years seniority, said: “After a long Organizing Campaign and long negotiations, we are starting in the right direction to recapturing a time in the past when Employees were happy and lining up the door for jobs and the company’s production goals were being exceeded.”

Highlights of the three-year contract includes allowing Workers to enter into the Union’s Health Insurance Plan, which includes medical, prescription, dental and optical coverage and a cost savings of up to $8,000 a year in weekly premiums alone.

The contract also guarantees 14% wage increases over the next three years, with a 16% pay raise between now and April 27th, and a move towards a hybrid eight-and-12-hour shift pattern, providing Members with more flexibility to balance the needs of their families with the needs of the plant, UFCW Officials said.

Additional contract terms include: Protection of the Workers’ 401(k) plan with a 9% company match; Six months of paid, short-term disability and six additional months of long-term disability; Paid Parental Leave; and Longevity based ratification bonuses of up to $2,000.

Workers at the Waterbury and St. Albans Plants won Union recognition by way of card check in January and March (2024) through an existing global agreement with Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, which establishes Union neutrality and card check recognition at all Unilever worksites. 

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go To: UFCW 371 -