Union Confident CMP Augusta Customer Service Representatives Have Won NLRB Union Election

June 5, 2013 - Customer Service Representatives at the Central Maine Power Company Call Center in Augusta voted today to decide if they wanted to be represented by IBEW Local #1837 for collective bargaining. In a secret ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board, a majority of the 42 employees on the eligible voter list voted in favor of the Union.

A smaller group of temporary workers also voted at the urging of the Union, although their ballots were contested by the Company. A decision will be made by the NLRB Regional Director whether or not to count their votes. Those contested ballots were set aside without being counted. The Union is confident that the contested ballots will not change the outcome of the election. Most of the temporary workers have indicated their support for the Union.

"We agreed with the organizing committee at CMP that we should show our support for all the Customer Service Representatives, even if they are so-called 'temporary workers,'" said IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers.

This is the second attempt by this group of workers to join IBEW. An earlier attempt in 2005 fell a few votes short. April Cooper was one of the Customer Service Representatives who participated in both campaigns.

"It's been a long time coming," Cooper said. "It should've happened in 2005."

"I'm very happy that the Augusta Call Center stuck together to make a change," said Customer Service Representative Joe Giuffrida.

These workers will be incorporated into the largest bargaining unit at CMP with more than 500 other union employees.

"Our most important work going forward will be showing solidarity with all the workers, whether they voted yes or no, to improve their conditions at the Call Center," continued Rogers."We look forward to meeting with all of them very soon."

A second, smaller group of Customer Service Representatives in Portland are already represented by the Union. Both groups of workers take customer service and billing phone calls on behalf of Maine's largest electric utility.