Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Workers in Columbus Move to Unionize
All eight Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams locations in Columbus have moved to unionize, with 80 workers filing a petition to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1059.
According to a Nov. 25 petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the employees are seeking to unionize "all full-time and part-time team leads and ambassadors employed by Jeni’s in the Columbus region," while excluding clerical staff, guards, managers and supervisors.
"Across Ohio and the nation, we are seeing workers joining together to form their union to fight back against the CEO and corporate greed that is keeping too many workers from achieving their American Dream," said Ohio AFL-CIO Tim Burga. "It was worker solidarity that ended the Gilded Age and it will take the same unified labor movement to stop the largest redistribution of wealth from the middle and working class to the ultra-wealthy this country has ever seen."
This move aims to address concerns about wages, scheduling, job security, and workplace policies. If successful, it could set a precedent for other Jenis locations and the food service sector, empowering workers to negotiate better conditions through collective bargaining.