Why Montpelier's downtown union drive ended

By James Haslam - Published: July 15, 2005
Montpelier Times-Argus

For several years, there was a steady flow of calls to the Workers' Center's Workers Rights Hotline from workers in downtown Montpelier. All kinds of workers in all kinds of workplaces had complaints and questions about being treated unfairly at work. Unfortunately, as many people know from firsthand experience, it's often difficult or impossible for one individual worker to solve problems on the job. Workers have very few individual rights, under our labor laws.

In June of 2003 the Vermont Workers' Center – Jobs With Justice began partnering with United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE) to pioneer an innovative response. Jointly we committed ourselves to help workers in Montpelier learn about collective action and organize a citywide union. Immediately there was a lot of interest amongst workers, people working in shops, markets, theaters, restaurants, and bars. And now — after almost two years of struggle — this month the UE and Workers' Center decided to end the Downtown Union campaign.

The high turnover in this low-wage industry, combined with the retaliation against some high-profile leaders of the union, has made it difficult to recruit enough active leadership. Looking back, the Downtown Union experienced lots of challenges, but also unexpected success.

Every day, the Workers' Rights Hotline receives calls from workers all over Vermont who have experienced unfair treatment on the job. Favoritism, discrimination and disrespect, and unjust firing are all common in Vermont's workplaces, and all are perfectly legal. The law protects workers against discrimination based on race, gender, and a handful of other protected categories – though the legal process is slow, and discrimination often difficult to prove – but for the most part, the only way for American workers to have enforceable rights on the job is through a union contract.

For workers in small retail and service establishments, organizing one small shop at a time is simply not possible under current American labor law. Furthermore, some issues, such as the lack of livable wages and healthcare, can only be addressed on an industry-wide basis, or require political solutions to protect small businesses from the predatory practices of big-box stores. This is why Montpelier downtown workers sought to organize a city-wide union. As they started gathering together they realized there were issues they would like to address. The idea of a Downtown Workers in Montpelier gradually took hold. Often expressed as: "If business owners have their employer association, doesn't it make sense to have ours?"

Many downtown employers were not as thrilled about the possibility of downtown workers having their own organization. When the conflicts that happen every day in some workplaces were brought out into the open, the union was sometimes accused of causing polarization. In fact, the union was often just bringing these long-standing problems out of the closet and into the light of day. But this process does involve conflict, and sometimes it made some residents of Montpelier uncomfortable. A memorable example is that of the conflict with the Bashara Corporation, which operates J. Morgan's Steakhouse. After the majority of workers at the steakhouse signed up for the union in a span of a few weeks, the Bashara Corporation responded in a Wal Mart-style illegal union-busting campaign. Nearly 30 charges of Unfair Labor Practices against pro-union employees were filed against the Bashara Corporation. These included charges of people being fired and having hours cut. The National Labor Relations Board investigated, a settlement was reached and workers received back pay. But the intimidation had worked. The workers who had previously signed-up for the union became scared of losing their jobs. Bashara Corporation was allowed to undermine their workers union despite the overwhelming support the workers received from the community. Unfortunately this was another sad example of the failure of labor law in this country.

The Montpelier Downtown Workers Union did not succeed in its ambitious goal of establishing basic standards for working conditions in downtown Montpelier, let alone being able to enforce them through a union contract, but there also was success. There were workers who initially opposed the idea of the union, but then experienced unfair treatment themselves and seeking the help of the union stewards. Some of these folks themselves became vocal union supporters. The union assisted workers throughout downtown Montpelier, from both small stores and corporate employers, in resolving numerous problems, ranging from discriminatory application of store rules to receiving back wages or settlement checks as a result of wrongful firings and sexual harassment.

But perhaps the single greatest accomplishment was bringing attention to the rights of people working in this industry. As one union activist put it in an interview last summer, "We're not invisible any longer. That's a victory." Since this campaign started, some workers have told us that their employers have been on their best behavior. The concept of organizing in an industry which is not a traditional place for people to have unions has been raised.

Many union organizing campaigns take a few rounds to succeed. The Fletcher Allen Health Care Registered Nurses voted against the union twice, and a few years later reconsidered and voted in a union by a 2-to-1 margin. The faculty at UVM had three union elections over a 20 year period before they succeeded in establishing their union.

In many ways the energy of the campaign is continuing in new forms. Workers at Vermont Center of Independent Living who joined are now becoming associate members of UE Local 221, which represents workers who work for non-profit organization across the state. Some former Downtown Union members and others are attempting to start a union chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) as something different and separate from the UE and Vermont Workers' Center.

At the Vermont Workers' Center we have learned a great deal from supporting the efforts of the Downtown Union campaign and are committed to continuing the campaign for workers' rights. Whatever form that campaign takes, we will be there to support workers who are organizing for good jobs at livable wages, decent healthcare, and dignity and respect on the job.

James Haslam is director of the Vermont Workers' Center – Jobs With Justice. More information available at www.workerscenter.org. The Vermont Workers' Rights Hotline is 802-229-0009.

Taking a trip to nowhere

Brian McGrory
Boston Globe
July 5, 2005

Their journey should have ended far better than it did.

Last week, a group of Vermont bristle factory workers who are being dismissed from their jobs with a mere two weeks severance pay decided to come to Boston and make their plea to executives from the private capital firm that is shuttering their plant.

They wanted to ask for more severance pay, given that some of them have worked for Specialty Filaments for more than 30 years. And they wanted to ask about the status of their pensions, because the management hasn't provided any information about them in the last several years.

I had high hopes. I thought maybe Robert C. Ammerman, the founder and managing partner of Capital Resource Partners, would invite the factory workers up to the office for bagels and juice.

They'd sit around a table and Ammerman would ask each of the workers about their jobs, their families, their long history with the century-old company. They'd talk about their pride in seeing an Oral-B toothbrush with bristles that they helped make. They'd mention the injuries they suffered in the plant over the years. They'd describe how this plant was the only job some of them had ever known.

And in the end, Ammerman would announce that they could forget about their severance pay. They could forget about it because he would keep the plant open so the 100 proud workers could continue doing what they've always done so well. Everyone would hug and applaud.

Yeah, right. As the Hertz ads say, "Not exactly."

Oh, the Specialty Filaments factory workers journeyed to Boston all right. They journeyed here, about eight in all, in a three-car caravan 3 1/2 hours through lush Vermont valleys and over verdant hills. And when they arrived at Capital Resource Partners on Merrimac Street, they were met with a locked door.

It didn't seem to bother them. Jim Lamore, a worker for 34 years, carried a fishing rod, saying he was "hoping to land the big one." Patricia Russell -- think Carla on "Cheers," only sassier -- brought along the X-rays of the plates and screws in her neck because of work injuries. Others carried signs that read, "CRP has the goldmine and we got the shaft."

Eventually, they talked their way into the lobby, then onto the elevator, and into CRP's offices on the second floor. Impressive offices, too, with soaring ceilings and a backlit stained glass collage of Boston sports teams, and a pair of chairs from the old Boston Garden.

But before the Vermonters took two steps, a building manager who refused to give his name cut them off and said CRP was closed. Closed? It was early Thursday afternoon. Phones were ringing. People could be seen and heard in their offices. Guys, they're factory workers, not morons.

After the group was escorted to the sidewalk, Chuck Hall, a plant worker for 19 years, grabbed the megaphone and led a chant of "How do you spell greed? CRP."

A few passing cars honked. The blinds rustled in one CRP office upstairs. A smattering of onlookers gathered across the street. And that was pretty much that.

I left messages for Robert C. Ammerman and Alexander "Sandy" McGrath, both managing partners of Capital Resource Partners, but they didn't call me back. When I called CRP's chief operating officer, Jeffrey W. Potter, the man who answered the phone said he wasn't there.

OK, so Robert C. Ammerman, Alexander "Sandy" McGrath, and Jeffrey W. Potter aren't going to answer the questions of lowly employees and reporters. Perhaps the Massachusetts or Vermont attorney general will make an inquiry about the pension fund and leave them no choice but to respond.

Meantime, if you see any of these clowns from Capital Resource Partners around, you might want to ask why they'll only give two weeks pay to men and women who poured their lives into a factory, and why they wouldn't even give those workers two minutes of their time. I'll keep you posted on how this plays out.

Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. His email is mcgrory@globe.com