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STANLEY WORKERS ORGANIZING WITH UE

Stanley workers explore union Print E-mail
Wednesday, 05 December 2007

UE meets with service center’s contract employees

ST. ALBANS CITY — On Tuesday afternoon Stanley workers at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Center in St. Albans launched a union petition drive.

The workers are seeking to join the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE).
“Despite the storm that dropped almost two feet of snow in 24 hours and hazardous driving conditions, more than 40 people signed petitions as soon as they became available,” said Jeremy Murray, a Stanley worker and union supporter.
He described the workers’ overall mood as one of “nervous anticipation.” He added, “Collectively as employees we’ll be able to do something pro-active about our working conditions.”
Expressing gratitude for the support workers have received from U.S. senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Pat Leahy, D-Vt., Murray said, “It’s nice to have other people on the side of right, but it’s good to do something for ourselves.”
In 2003 workers at the service center voted 267-115 against joining AFSCME. In 2003, the service center was being managed by the Service Center Operations Team (SCOT), a group of private contractors headed by D.H.M. Research and Development that included SI International.
Stanley took over operations on Monday. As part of Stanley’s takeover wages were cut $1.70 an hour for approximately 100 data entry employees.
Originally Stanley had cut the wages of nearly 200 employees. Workers with the job classification of General Clerk I or Data Entry Operator II were reduced to Data Entry Operator I or II.
General Clerks made $14.54 per hour. The Data Entry Clerk II position pays $12.84 per hour and Data Entry Operator I $11.65.
The day before Thanksgiving, Stanley decided not to reduce anyone at the facility to Data Entry Operator I, restoring approximately 70 workers to their former wage, according to Eric Wolking a Stanley vice president.
Wolking this morning was asked for a comment concerning the union organizing effort. He said he would reply after discussing it with other company officials, but had not returned the Messenger’s phone call as of press time today.
One Stanley worker who spoke to the Messenger on the condition of anonymity said that she supported the union in 2003 and is supporting it now. She described training someone to do the same job she does only to have the trainee remain at $14.54 while her pay was reduced after seven years of employment.
“We’re all working in the same units and I’m doing the same work as the person next to me and one of us got a pay cut and the other didn’t,” the worker said. “Where does this come from? How can it be explained?” she added.
Murray has been protesting the pay cuts since they were announced, arguing that the new job classifications do not match the work done by the clerks. “I thought that being armed with the facts would let me solve any problem. I was wrong. This needs people standing together,” Murray said.
But the wage reductions aren’t the only issue motivating Stanley employees. The petition lists a number of concerns including:
® Restoration of paid personal days and vacation days;
® A fair system for distributing overtime and an end to mandatory overtime;
® Job security and protection against unfair firing and discipline;
®A quick and fair grievance procedure; and
®Protection against future loss of pay or benefits if the contractor changes.
The final item on the list of what Stanley workers want is “Respect and dignity that comes from consistent and fair treatment of all employees.”
One anonymous worker described conditions at the center under SCOT, with the words, “You can stand over someone with a whip, but is that the best way to get things done?” She described the SCOT management team as “unprofessional.” She believes a union would force management “to handle themselves in a more professional manner.”
Kim Lawson, a UE organizer, said that workers described: unreasonable work rules that were inconsistently applied; unfair discipline; and difficulty transferring between different areas of the facility. She described a desire on the part of workers to have their work valued and their contribution recognized.
“The service center should be a source of pride for the community,” one Stanely worker told the Messenger.
According to Lawson, workers who have not had their pay cut have also signed the union petitions and attended the three meetings the union has held so far, each with a larger turnout than its predecessor.
Between the first and second union meeting the number of workers attending increased five-fold according to Murray.
Krista Griffin, a Stanley worker who voted against the union in 2003, said the meetings have been important in changing her mind about unionizing,
“The last time I didn’t go to any of the meetings and voted no,” Griffin said, “but I feel better about it now that I’ve seen what they’re about.”
Murray also voted against the union in 2003. When asked what was different this time, he said, “We are the union, rather than some outside group of people telling us what to do.” He added, “This feels like a Vermonters union.”
UE, which represents 35,000 workers nationwide and is not affiliated with the AFL-CIO, has as its motto, “Members run this union.”
Contract negotiations are conducted by a committee of union members and the union recommends that negotiations be held at a time and location when other members can attend as observers, according to the union’s website.
Members vote on any political positions taken by the union and set the wages for union officials. Lawson said the union does not believe dues should be used for lavish salaries.
That openness extends to organizing, according to Lawson. “We don’t believe that there can be secret organizing,” she said, which is why the union chooses to use petitions rather than cards signed and mailed in secret. Signing the petition means workers are making a commitment to their co-workers, Lawson said.
If two-thirds of workers at the center sign the petitions then UE will petition the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election, Lawson reported.
Should the union prevail the new local would form a negotiating committee and enter into negotiations with Stanley.
No dues will be paid by any worker until there is an approved contract between Stanley and the workers. As for union dues, workers classified as General Clerk I would pay $7.27 per week while the Data Entry Operators would pay $6.42.
Lawson feels that the previous failure will work to the union’s advantage. “Workers have seen what the consequences of having no voice are and they won’t fall for it again,” she said.
“I remember hearing 25 years ago that there wasn’t a need for unions anymore because we had eliminated the sweatshops, but other people said there would be a need for unions again because of corporate greed. I think we’re there,” one Stanley worker said.
She believes the union will give workers a unified voice, a bargaining unit, job protection and grievance procedures. “It can only give us a voice, which is more than what we have now,” she said.