Stanley reassures Md. governor on B&D jobs

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley reached out this week to officials at New Britain-based Stanley Works to ensure the company will not eliminate jobs in Baltimore County once its acquisition of Black & Decker Corp. is completed, the Baltimore Business Journal reports.

In an e-mail, O'Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec said O'Malley spoke by phone with Stanley Works CEO John F. Lundgren Monday and he is confident Black & Decker's Power Tools division, and the 1,200-plus workers employed by it, will stay in Towson, the Journal reports today on its Web site.

"The conversation was positive, and the Governor was assured that the Power Tool division would remain in Towson, along with the jobs it supports," Adamec said.

Black & Decker announced plans Nov. 3 to be acquired by Stanley in a $4.5 billion, all-stock deal. The merger, expected to close in the first half of 2010, would mean the loss of one of Greater Baltimore's last remaining Fortune 500 companies.

The combined company, to be called Stanley Black & Decker, will be based at Stanley's New Britain headquarters.

In announcing the merger, company officials said they plan to eliminate about 250 Black & Decker corporate jobs in Towson but will keep the Power Tools Group, and its 1,250 workers, intact, the Journal reports.