Nov
26

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Workers Ratify Groundbreaking Union Contract

UFCW Local 371 Ben & Jerry’s Members Negotiate Significant Wage Increases, Health Care Improvements

Waterbury, Vt. – More than 300 Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream workers at the St. Albans and Waterbury production facilities, who are members of theUnited Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 371, ratified their first union contract by an overwhelming majority vote. 

Jeff Johnson, St. Albans Ben & Jerry’s bargaining committee member with 23 years seniority, said the following: 

“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 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., Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s bargaining committee member with seven years seniority, said the following: 

“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.”

Contract Highlights

Most notably, the three-year contract allows 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 percent wage increases over the next three years, with a 16 percent pay raise between now and April 27, and a move towards a hybrid eight and 12 hour shift pattern, giving members more flexibility to balance the needs of their families with the needs of the plant.

Additional contract terms include: 

  • Protection of workers’ 401(k) plan with a 9 percent company match
  • Six months of paid short term disability and six additional months of long-term disability 
  • Paid parental leave 
  • Longevity based ratification bonuses of up to $2,000

Background

Workers at the Waterbury and St. Albans plants won union recognition by way of card check in January and March of this year through an existing global agreement with Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, that establishes union neutrality and card check recognition at all Unilever worksites. 

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Sep
26

Still River Wellness in Torrington Becomes the First Cannabis Dispensary to Ratify Union Contract with Local 371

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 371 is proud to announce the workers at Still River Wellness in Torrington recently ratified their first union contract.Still River Wellness workers are just the latest in the CT cannabis industry to negotiate a union contract and join a growing union movement of a cannabis workers in CT.

The workers at Still River Wellness in Torrington secured a two- year contract with an increase of six paid days off, significant wage increases, an increase in the employee discount, and access to union health insurance. 

“Local 371 UFCW represents workers not only in cannabis, but also in food processing, retail, healthcare, casinos, and many service industries.  As a resident of Torrington, I am absolutely thrilled to have our city be home to another responsible union employer who ensures that Torrington jobs are quality jobs”, said Keri Hoehne, Executive Vice President of UFCW Local 371.

“I have always liked my job at Still River Wellness.  Have the security that a union contract can provide, plus having the backing of tens of thousands of other unionized cannabis workers who are members of the UFCW’s Cannabis Workers Rising just ensures that I can build a career at Still River that will be here long into the future.”, said Ashley Corrie, a member of the union’s bargaining committee. 

The UFCW partners with cannabis workers, patients, consumers, community allies, elected officials and business owners to achieve the shared goals of creating an industry with family-sustaining jobs and a focus on social equity.  Through these partnerships and worker organizing, the UFCW’s Cannabis Workers Rising division has been able to set standards throughout the industry in our union contracts. 

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Mar
20

UFCW Statement on Unilever Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Spin Off

Waterbury, VT. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 371, which represents essential workers in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, retail, and other essential industries across CT, MA and Vermont, released a statement following Unilever’s announcement that the company will spin off its Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream unit.

UFCW Local 371 President Ronald M. Petronella released the following statement:

“Now more than ever, Ben & Jerry’s workers need a voice at their workplace. As the union for food processing workers, we are here to stand with any Ben & Jerry’s workers impacted by this news.

“UFCW Local 371 remains firmly committed to working with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream workers to secure a strong union contract and protect good jobs in Vermont, no matter what the structure of Unilever’s ice cream business is.”

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UFCW Local 371 is part of the UFCW International, the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in retail, grocery, meatpacking, food processing, cannabis, healthcare and other essential industries in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.

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Feb
22

Local 371 Steward and Board member Lucy Sciarretto Speaks at Press Conference to Fight for Unemployment for Striking Workers.

“My husband and I both work for Stop and Shop, so our entire financial world was about to change. I had to keep strong for my employees, but this wasn’t an easy task when I was so nervous on the inside. Going on strike for two weeks, not knowing what was going to happen to us financially as a family was frightening.” These were some of the thoughts shared by Lucy Sciarretto this morning when speaking to to legislators and the press. Lucy was speaking in favor of HB 5164, a bill that would allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits after they have been on strike for two consecutive weeks.

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Dec
13

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Workers Organize with UFCW Local 371

The UFCW Local 371 is extremely proud to welcome the hard-working ice cream processors at Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury, Vermont plant to our union family. From Cherry Garcia to Chubby Hubby, Ben and Jerry’s workers at the Waterbury, Vermont plant proudly make some of the country’s most recognizable ice cream flavors. As America’s food processing union, we are thrilled at the opportunity to not only represent, but uplift, workers at such an iconic American brand and we look forward to bringing this opportunity to other Ben & Jerry’s plants across the country. These workers know better than anyone that whether it’s in a cup or cone, union victory tastes sweet.

We applaud the Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury plant employees who made their voices heard today by joining the UFCW through card check recognition. Ben & Jerry’s are well known for their progressive politics, and we held them to their word. We are glad to see Ben & Jerry’s live up to their stated values by recognizing their workers’ right to unionize instead of forcing a long and drawn out election process. Ben & Jerry’s employees work hard to make the ice cream that so many Americans know and love and we look forward to sitting down at the bargaining table to negotiate a contract that gives them the benefits that they have earned and deserve.

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