NLRB Denies Workers' Right To Join Union
The National Labor Relations Board has rejected the bid of Working Foremen in the Line Department of PSNH to join IBEW Local 1837. The Working Foremen work shoulder-to-shoulder with our represented Lineworkers and perform nearly identical work for the Line Department.


 
In a ruling dated March 20, 2008, the NLRB's Regional Director disagreed with the Union and agreed with Public Service Company of New Hampshire, finding that the Working Foremen - Line were statutory supervisors. Under the terms of the National Labor Relations Act, workers determined to be supervisors are not eligible... Read More
The Current Newsletter - Winter 2008
The Current is distributed quarterly by IBEW 1837 stewards at worksites. You can also download the most recent edition here. Highlights include:
   PSNH Fights Bid of Working Foremen to Join IBEW 1837
   Members Ratify 5-Year Deal at FPL Energy Maine
    WGME Unfair Labor Practice Trial Set for March 4th
Tentative Agreement Reached at Granite Ridge
Tentative agreement has been reached at Granite Ridge Energy in Londonderry, NH, for a first contract between IBEW 1837 and NAES (North American Energy Services). Following a union election and months of negotiation, the parties today (March 18, 2008) reached tentative agreement on a three-year contract package. The package will be voted on by eligible employees at Granite Ridge on Monday, March 24 between 4:00 and 9:00pm at the Plumbers and Pipefitters union hall in Hooksett.
Seven is the Lucky Number!
What can seven members at a unit meeting do? (Besides come up with good ideas about things to put on a union t-shirt). They can VOTE. Unit members may want to make a motion to recommend something to the executive board. Unit members get to nominate people for elected union positions. Most actions of the Executive Board aren’t final unless the members vote to approve them. BUT……..The IBEW Constitution defines a quorum for union meetings as seven members. So if there aren’t seven members present there isn’t a quorum and we can discuss anything we want to but we won’t get to vote.
 
So –... Read More
Sign Me Up for Labor 2008 with the Maine and New Hampshire AFL-CIO!
IBEW Local 1837 members are teaming up with our brothers and sisters from other AFL-CIO unions to fight for a brighter future for workers across the United States. Now is a great time to make your union voice heard loud and clear as we prepare to elect a new President as well as other representatives at the federal, state and local level. In fact, Maine and New Hampshire have been identified as two of the six “battleground states” with competitive races that could impact the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
The last eight years have seen an unprecedented attack on the rights of workers... Read More
PSNH Fights Bid of Working Foremen to Join IBEW 1837; NLRB Set to Decide if Union Elections Will Be Held
 
Nashua City Hall, site of the first day of hearings. Public Service Company of New Hampshire has challenged the right of Working Foremen in the Line Department to be represented by IBEW before the National Labor Relations Board. In six days of hearings beginning in Nashua on January 7th and ending in Boston on the 17th, the Company sought to portray the Working Foremen as an integral part of their management team while the Union strongly defended the right of these workers to join IBEW.
 
Under the terms of the National Labor Relations Act, labor unions may not represent “... Read More
Contract Ratified With FPL Energy - Maine
Waiting for the Last Ballot Team to Come In

IBEW 1837 members at FPL Energy Maine today ratified a new contract by a comfortable margin.
With wages structured to create incentives for training, the new contract restructures the way employees move through their career paths by allowing advancement to higher classifications immediately when employees obtain the required skills, without having to wait for openings.
The package contains commitments from the Company for training, adjusts the way hours are calculated for overtime pay, and makes several minor modifications to other... Read More
PSNH Working Foremen Petition to Join Union
Twenty Working Foremen at three Public Service Company of New Hampshire Area Work Centers in the Southern Division may soon be represented by IBEW Local 1837. Working Foremen at the Derry, Hooksett and Milford AWCs have authorized the Union to represent them for the purpose of collective bargaining.
 
Certification of Representative Petitions were filed with the National Labor Relations Board office in Boston on Friday, December 21, 2007. The NLRB is expected to schedule elections for the three bargaining units sometime early in February 2008, pending a possible challenge to the Union... Read More
College Scholarships Available for IBEW Members and Dependents
Each year, the Union Plus Scholarship program offers college scholarship money to union members and their dependents. Applications for the 2008 program are now available and the deadline to apply is January 31.
You can find out more about the program and download an application at theUnion Plus website.
NLRB Set to Issue Second Complaint Against WGME for Unfair Labor Practices

WGME-TV 13 offices in Portland.The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will be issuing a second Complaint and Notice of Hearing to WGME for engaging in unfair labor practices as a result of a charge by IBEW Local 1837. The Union charged that the Company “restrained and coerced employees” by unlawfully requiring them to participate in interviews with their Employer in preparation for a trial on an earlier Complaint. Such a requirement would be a violation of a member’s rights under the National Labor Relations Act. WGME would not agree to a settlement on this new case, leading to the... Read More