Bargaining

If you owned coastal property in Maine or New Hampshire and weather forecasters said that a hurricane was barreling up the Atlantic Coast, you would probably batten down the hatches, stock up on groceries and flashlight batteries, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. If the hurricane passed us by, well, you could still make good use of those supplies. If we took a direct hit from Mother Nature, you’d be all set to ride out the storm.

CMP 47 Negotiating Committee Working on Proposals: Negotiating Committee Working on Proposals" CMP 47 Negotiating Committee Working on Proposals: Negotiating Committee Working on ProposalsA majority vote today ratified a first contract for "The 47" CMP employees who voted to join IBEW Local 1837 in January of 2006.

The Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists at Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) have voted to join IBEW Local 1837. 100% of the 35 eligible employees (who are also known as "Writers") participated by mail ballot in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election. Representatives of the Union and the Company were on hand as the votes were tallied at the NLRB office in Boston on the morning of July 20, 2007.

Demonstrator CMP Portland Members of "The 47" at CMP still working to achieve their first contract took to the streets again today, this time in three locations. Allies from the other IBEW bargaining unit at CMP turned out to show their support, as did members of several other unions including the Machinists from Bath Iron Works, IBEW Local 567, IBEW 2327 workers from Verizon, the Maine AFL-CIO, the Newspaper Guild, and the Maine AFL-CIO. Spirited demonstrators walked the line between 6 and 7 before heading to work in Augusta, Portland, and Lewiston.

Union members at CMP wore red last Tuesday in support of the "CMP 47", the bargaining unit that was certified in January of 2006 and is still working to negotiate their first contract. Approximately 600 employees of CMP already belong to the union and have worked under a collective bargaining agreement with the Company for decades. In 2005 a group of fourteen Dispatchers joined the union and negotiated a supplement to the existing agreement.

Following months of investigations and weeks preparing for trial, Unfair Labor Practice charges filed against Central Maine Power Company (CMP) by IBEW Local 1837 were settled just days before the trial was set to begin.

System and Area Dispatchers at CMP voted in February to join IBEW Local 1837. The Local already represents about 600 other workers throughout the company.

Negotiations will begin with the Company on April 26. The newly organized workers have already met to formulate proposals and select a Negotiating Committee. The Committee has been working to refine the proposals and build a negotiating strategy.

Additional dates are being scheduled for May and June.

CMP (Energy East) has again discovered a raft of apparent errors in their payroll system. Although the problems are apparently company wide for Energy East and include both union and non-union workers, 131 IBEW 1837 members have received letters either asking for refund of alleged overpayments or with checks for alleged underpayments. Many but not all of the errors are related to 401(k) withholdings. Others are apparently miscalculated callouts and other miscellaneous errors.

System and Area Dispatchers at CMP voted in February to join IBEW Local 1837. The Local already represents about 600 other workers throughout the company.

Negotiations will begin with the Company on April 26. The newly organized workers have already met to formulate proposals and select a Negotiating Committee. The Committee has been working to refine the proposals and build a negotiating strategy.

Additional dates are being scheduled for May and June.

February 24, 2014 - Fiber Microwave Technicians at Central Maine Power have ratified their first union contract. These six workers are now part of the largest existing bargaining unit at CMP along with hundreds of other IBEW members. The Fiber Microwave Technicians voted to have union representation in a National Labor Relations Board election last May.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re better off,” said Phil Fessenden, one of the Fiber Microwave Techs. “It was an avenue to better our position at CMP and ensure a more productive future for our department.”

February 10, 2014 - Customer Service Representatives at the Central Maine Power Call Center in Augusta have ratified their first union contract with the Company. An overwhelming majority of the 46 CSR’s voted late last week to accept the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between IBEW Local 1837 and CMP. The workers had voted to organize a union this past June.

February 12, 2014 - IBEW Local 1837 and Central Maine Power have reached a landmark two-year settlement agreement that creates new union positions, sets base line staffing levels in each of the classification groupings, provides certain protections against layoffs, and creates new overtime opportunities in areas that are using DLI contractors. This wide-ranging agreement suspends a pending arbitration case over CMP’s use of contractors while preserving the Union’s right to grieve and arbitrate the present and future use of them.

October 2, 2013 – IBEW members at Maine Public Service (MPS) have ratified a new contract with an average wage increase of 8.8% over two years. The agreement also includes improvements in overtime, call-out, standby, and system emergency pay as well as a number of other improvements.