September 22, 2018 – IBEW 1837 members working for NextEra Energy at Maine’s Wyman Station ratified a 3-year contract extension earlier this week.
The idea of an extension to the collective bargaining agreement was initially proposed by Union Stewards at the oil-fired power plant. IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers brought the idea to the Company, who initially offered a 1.5% wage increase each year for three years with no other changes to the contract.
After some discussions between Rogers and the Company, the offer was improved to a wage increase of 2% in each of the first two years and 1.5% in the third year. A $750 ratification bonus was also in the Company’s extension offer. Again, there were no other changes to the contract.
NextEra members voted on Monday, September 17, to ratify the extension. The Union represents 32 workers at the Yarmouth, Maine power plant.
The extension comes at a challenging time for oil-fired generation and as the company announced plans to take two of Wyman Station’s four units offline.