200-plus jobs moved from St. Albans to Essex
ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) — More than 200 workers at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services facilty in St. Albans have been moved to an alternate building in Essex Junction because of December flooding in the facility, according to government officials.
The relocation is “for the foreseeable future," officials said, according to the St. Albans Messenger.
Employees were notified on Jan. 29 that the Essex Junction site would become the new permanent location for those previously relocated because of flooding damage, and that employees were ordered to report to their new post by Feb. 4 or “face potential termination," according to a statement from the union.
The UE 208 has expressed concern that the potential permanent relocation could harm the city’s economy and the affected employees, because some were workers were unable to make the commute to the new location.
“The members of Local 208 do not know whether their employment will return to Franklin County," the union said in a statement submitted to the newspaper. "In the meantime Saint Albans and Franklin County have lost good paying jobs as well as the business influx brought by the workers who eat at local restaurants and run their errands before and after work at local businesses.”