No, it’s not unionized. It’s a Texas family owned company. Their ice cream used to be the BEST and everyone was beside themselves when it came to their town but in recent years they’ve cut back on quality so much it’s no better than store brand except still double the price.
One store brand that I've found to be good is Goldenbrook from Brookshires.
I don’t think Blue Bell is particularly good, but I bet if it’s gotten worse and they’ve been cutting back, they’ve also been cutting back on sanitation procedures.
Listeria occurs in the soil and can also contaminate workspaces that handle milk or meat products, particularly things that are not pasteurized or heated at some point (fresh cheeses, such as Feta or queso fresco, for example). Some similar bacteria are killed by freezing, but unfortunately, freezing doesn’t bother listeria. So places that process this type of dairy or meat product have to be very careful about sanitation, and it looks like Blue Bell wasn’t.