Community Calls On Stanley To Respect Workers' Rights

(Stanley workers speak at press conference in their St. Albans union office)

On Thursday, the Vermont Workers’ Center organized a press conference with workers at Stanley Associates in St. Albans who are organizing with the UE and and elected officials to release a public letter to Stanley to respect workers right to organize. The letter (text below), signed by US Senator Bernie Sanders and two dozen other Workers' Rights Board members, elected officials, local business owners and community leaders requests that Stanley not spend tax-dollar money on union-busting consultants and otherwise interfere with workers right to organize at its Vermont facilities employing over 400 Vermonters. Attending the press conference were Franklin State Senator Sara Kittell and State Representatives Kathleen Keenan and Jim Fitzgerald of St. Albans and Michel Consejo of Sheldon Springs, Vermont. Media coverage included WAMC - North Country Public Radio, WCAX News Channel 3 (link to transcript), WPTZ News Channel 5, St. Albans Messenger (read frontpage story here) and Channel 15 Community Public Access in St. Albans.

On December 27th, Stanley workers petitioned for a union election with the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE). See last Friday's lead cover story in the St. Albans Messenger.

Text of Community Letter:

January 3, 2008
Philip Nolan , CEO
Stanley Associates, Inc.
3101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 700
Arlington, VA 22201
Fax: 802-527-4689, 703-683-0039

Dear Mr. Nolan:

We understand that workers now employed by Stanley Associates, Inc. are organizing and call upon you to respect their right to form a union without interference. We have heard workers concerned with cuts to pay and new management practices are exercising this basic human right to explore collective bargaining. We support them in this endeavor and request that Stanley not engage in anti-union activity or otherwise interfere with this process.

We have heard it reported that Stanley is very proud of being found a good employer by Fortune Magazine. We hope you will now act as a responsible employer and respect your employees’ right to organize. In receiving this latest $225 million government contract, Stanley has the responsibility to tax-payers not to waste any of this money on an anti-union campaign.

We have asked workers to keep us informed about their organizing efforts, and hope they will be able to report that their rights to make this decision have been respected.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Sincerely,

Bernie Sanders, US Senator

Ron Allard, Vermont State Representative, St. Albans, Vermont

Rabbi Joshua Chasan, Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, Burlington, Vermont

Michel Consejo, Vermont State Representative, Sheldon Springs, Vermont

Hilary Denault-Reynolds, Owner-Operator Heroes Kingdom Store, St. Albans, Vermont

Joey Donovon, Vermont State Representative, Burlington, Vermont

James Fitzgerald, Vermont State Representative, St. Albans, Vermont

Gary Gilbert, Vermont State Representative, Fairfax, Vermont

Dan Green, Owner-Operator Greenstone Landscaping, St. Albans, Vermont

James Haslam, Vermont Workers’ Center, Director, Burlington, Vermont

Helen Head, Vermont State Representative, South Burlington, Vermont

Donna Howard, Owner Operator Eloquent Page Bookstore, St. Albans, Vermont

Richard Howrigan, Vermont State Representative, Fairfield, Vermont

Kathleen Keenan, Vermont State Representative, St. Albans, Vermont

Sara Kittell, Vermont State Senator, Fairfield, Vermont

Mark Larson, Vermont State Representative, Burlington, Vermont

Virginia Lyons, Vermont State Senator, Williston, Vermont

Mark MacDonald, Vermont State Senator, Williamstown, Vermont

Norman McAllister, Vermont State Representative, Franklin, Vermont

David McWilliams, AFSCME Local 1343, St. Albans, Vermont

Christopher Pearson, Vermont State Representative, Burlington, Vermont

Rebecca Smith, Burlington Education Association, President, Burlington, Vermont

Kristy Spengler, Vermont State Representative, Colchester, Vermont

Rachel Weston, Vermont State Representative, Burlington, Vermont

David Zuckerman, Vermont State Representative, Burlington, Vermont