5.09.2005 ET

(CSRwire) A delegation of Merrimack Valley Project (MVP) clergy and immigrant workers will travel to Rye, New York next Thursday to participate in the Gillette Annual General Meeting and call for higher standards for hundreds of immigrant temporary workers employed by Gillette and its suppliers. Boston Common Asset Management, a socially responsible investment firm and an investor in Gillette, has collaborated with other investment groups across the country to obtain proxies so that MVP leaders can participate in the shareholder meeting. MVP will be holding a press conference on Wednesday, May 11th, prior to departing for the Rye, New York meeting (see details below).

"As social investors, we are concerned about the social impact, as well as the financial return, of our investments," said Lauren Compere, Chief Administrative Officer for Boston Common Asset Management. "We believe that Gillette should improve the jobs of temporary workers in its supply chain, by establishing independent monitoring of its subcontractors and temp agencies to uphold workplace standards. Gillette can also become a leader in ensuring dignity and opportunity for temporary workers by creating meaningful opportunities for people to move into stable, permanent positions.

"We feel that it is important for Gillette to uphold its reputation as a good corporate citizen and local employer given the pending merger with Procter & Gamble."

MVP leaders are calling on Gillette to set up a system of independent monitoring of their subcontractors and temp agencies, and to take steps to provide more workers with opportunities for permanent employment at facilities where, based on worker accounts, the vast majority of employees are temps and many are denied opportunities for full-time positions despite months and years on the job.

MVP leaders have been seeking a meeting with Gillette management since last November to discuss its policy recommendations. Eighty-eight clergy and religious leaders in the Merrimack Valley, including the Regional Catholic Bishop, Most Reverend Emilio Allué, SDB, have signed on to a statement in support of the workers and their policy proposals, and MVP has won public support from city officials in Lawrence, where the majority of the workers live, including Mayor Michael Sullivan.

Ten investor groups from across the country, including NorthStar Asset Management, another Boston-based firm, have sent a letter to Gillette encouraging them to work with directly with the Merrimack Valley Project on these issues.

MVP's visit to the Gillette shareholder meeting is the latest in a series of public actions that workers, clergy, and community leaders have organized to call attention to unethical workplace conditions faced by hundreds of Merrimack Valley residents employed as temps within Gillette's manufacturing and packaging supply chain, many of whom, according to MVP, have worked for years as temps with low wages and no benefits, without ever securing stable, permanent, full-time work. Some workers at these facilities have also publicly testified that they were not always paid for their work or that they were dismissed for voicing complaints about poor work conditions.

"Gillette advertises itself as a company with 'World Class Brands, Products, and People," said MVP President Annia Lembert. "We want to help Gillette truly be 'World Class' where it counts-at home."

MVP will be holding a press conference prior to the shareholder meeting on Wednesday, May 11, at 11:00 AM, at 35 Jackson Street, Lawrence. MVP leaders will also be conducting a conference call for out-of-town media on May 11th at 12:30 PM. The call-in number for the conference call is 702-851-3330, and the participant access code is 63531. Please contact MVP at 978-686-0650 or via email at mvalleyp@aol.com to register for the conference call.

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