Scores of farm workers & activists march on Ben & Jerry's

Ben and Jerry's, you know the $5 a pint ice cream is still trying to come up with what the so called "milk with dignity" program means.
It has been 2 years since the company agreed to the milk with dignity but the workers are going to pressure the company, they can't wait for better pay and living conditions. OH my goodness.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Scores of dairy farm workers and activists marched Saturday on a Ben & Jerry's factory to push for better pay and living conditions on farms that provide milk for the ice cream maker that takes pride in its social activism.
Protesters said Ben & Jerry's agreed two years ago to participate in the so-called Milk with Dignity program, but the company and worker representatives have yet to reach an agreement.

"We can't wait any more. We are going to pressure them and see what happens," said Victor Diaz, a Mexican immigrant now working on a farm in Vergennes.

But the Ben and Jerry's spokes man Sean Greenwood said the company is eager to reach an agreement. After all they are a values led business and aspire to SOCIAL JUSTICE..... Good golly I wonder what could be stopping the ice cream giant from paying better and better living conditions???

hosted.ap.org...
Ben & Jerry's spokesman Sean Greenwood said before Saturday's march from the Statehouse to the Waterbury factory that the company was eager to reach an agreement and negotiations were underway.

"We are a values-led business. We frame ourselves as an aspiring social justice company," said Greenwood. "We try to do good with everything we can with our business. Dairy has definitely been one of those issues we have done a ton of work on for decades."

(I bet the whole thing is the farmers want money and Ben and Jerry's doesn't want to pay)

F Ben and F Jerry.

a reply to: c2oden

Hold it, they are pro social justice... How can you say that?

a reply to: seasonal

FACT:

Ben and Jerry used to have a Vegas act with white tigers. But Ben got mauled, so they gave it up and went into ice cream.

So-called "social justice" is becoming an excuse for bad behavior all the way up the ladder I see.

a reply to: seasonal

We'll have to dig deeper to really see what's going here without any spin. But if I recall Ben and Jerry's actually is a very cool company when it comes to this kind of stuff. I can't remember the specifics off hand but it seems like I remember in the past years of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream being one of those companies I've read about that stand out as being uniquely ahead of the rest in how they operate in terms of employee treatment and stuff.

I'll have to refresh my memory to make sure, but I'm pretty sure they are who I'm thinking of as being surprisingly cool in how they've chosen to run their business.

a reply to: mOjOm

I always thought the same.

But people usually don't march because they are being treated fair. That doesn't mean the company is not paying, it means the workers are not getting it.

Or maybe this is a Walmart contractor situation? Ben and J has no idea, we paid the contractor and have nothing to do with this "issue".

a reply to: DBCowboy

fact:
chubby hubby is the bomb

originally posted by: TinySickTears
a reply to: DBCowboy

fact:
chubby hubby is the bomb

I know I am.

Looks like the farmers are getting the bone.

digital.vpr.net.../0
Miguel Alcudia works on dairy farm in Addison county, and he addressed the board members who stopped to listen outside the office entrance.

"I want you to tell me, who are you going find to work 13-, 14-hours a day in the conditions that we work in? Who are you going to find who's going to work for wages we've worked in?" says Alcudia.

"And the housing, it's not dignified for humans habitation, it's not even dignified for animals to live in. It's infested, it's overcrowded."

a reply to: mOjOmdigital.vpr.net.../0

Ben and Jerrys uuugggghhhhhh

Every so often they launch a new campaign in Australia trying to pressure the gov't and trying to encourage teens to mobilize into protests for (insert the SJW flavour of the month)

I'm sick of multinational corporations poking their nose into everything and telling people what to do

a reply to: mOjOm

Well there is two possible conclusions.

1. Ben and jerries has sold the world on the cool hippy guy image, that's all about social justice and good pay, but in reality they are treating employees like crap.

2. Ben and jerries actually does treat there employees great and pay them fairly, but it's still not enough and the employees will always complain that they want more.

Either way it's not good.

a reply to: DBCowboy

good one
anna kendrik
she is the bomb too

a reply to: Grambler

I gravitate to #1.

Corps are usually good and clean for just a little while. Then the suits come in and start to maximize everything but pay and benefits.

Treat like Carl? What is that?

Strange how activists get involved in this kind of stuff that is none of their business, they do not work there.

So, I see nothing about what wages they get or whether they have paid health insurance. I would like to know more before condemning any business. I have seen well paid workers talked into trying to unionized when the employer actually paid them more than the Union job would pay, and they had health insurance with the employer too, not really great health insurance, but it was health insurance. The majority of the employees held their ground and stopped the union, they would have lost money overall. But about thirty percent of the workers rose a stink, they never got called back in the spring. The employer is one of the better employers in our area and he keeps expanding and actually gets the bids because he winds up a little cheaper and he doesn't make as much as some out of state companies make. He is trying to supply good jobs for the community.

The workers who rose the stink do not consider this, all they want is more money and cannot comprehend that if the union got hold, they would make less money. Another company my son in law works for did unionize, the workers have a little better benefit program, but get paid on average three bucks an hour less now. Plus they have to pay union dues. They actually lost money, the union gained what they lost. The company is paid a set rate for their services, they cannot get more so the employees lost out. Greed of employees often results in lost pay and jobs if the employer cannot make up for the extra money. In the case of the OP, the price of the product is competing on the market, if it goes up, sales may go down and employees will lose jobs.

a reply to: seasonal

Eh it's this stupid mobile, it switches all of my words. I fixed it.

a reply to: rickymouse

True, do not bite the hand that feeds you unless you have to.

Ben and J is a very expensive ice cream.

From the other stories I have read the "farmers" are also housed. So I imagine a migrant work force. And let's not forget the Unilever bouth B&J in 2012.
Something does not add up. And I have a feeling the farmers may be getting exploited.
Will Ben and Jerry’s Help Improve Conditions for Dairy Workers?civileats.com...

a reply to: DBCowboy

Tiger didn't go crazy, Tiger went Tiger!!

a reply to: seasonal

I was thinking that too. Or maybe they aren't as much in control anymore or something. It's been a while since I remember hearing about them. Maybe they've been pushed out a little bit by the board or something. Who knows??

Could be they've just gotten mean with age too.

a reply to: Grambler

No worries, when I see the cig smoker, I know logic rules the post.