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Ben & Jerry's promises fair treatment for farmworkers

/ AP

Farmworkers caught in the web of illegal immigration debate

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has agreed to improve the pay and working conditions of people hired by farms that provide milk to the company.

Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's signed an agreement Tuesday in Burlington with the group Migrant Justice, promising to treat farmworkers and farmers who contribute to its products more fairly. Migrant Justice Leader Enrique "Kike" Balcazar called the agreement the first of its kind in the dairy industry.

Balcazar says some farmworkers don't get days off and live in substandard housing, issues that are addressed in the agreement.

First published on October 3, 2017 / 4:16 PM EDT

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