PSNH Generation Facilities Threatened by House Bill 1238
March 28, 2012 UPDATE - NH House Bill 1238 has been tabled by a 304-19 vote today by the New Hampshire House of Representatives. IBEW 1837 thanks everyone for their support!
March 26, 2012 - This Wednesday, March 28, the New Hampshire House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that may be devastating to many members of IBEW 1837 and to the union itself.
IBEW Local 1837 is in complete agreement with PSNH in their opposition to House Bill 1238, a bill that could affect 186 jobs for our union members at generation facilities owned by the Company. These are good-paying union jobs, and... Read More
Bangor Hydro System Operators Organize to Join IBEW 1837
February 17, 2012 - The System Operators at Bangor Hydro Electric Company have unanimously decided that they would like to be represented by IBEW Local 1837 for collective bargaining. These highly-skilled workers are also commonly known as “Dispatchers.”
All of the System Operators at BHE indicated their interest in union representation by signing authorization cards which were subsequently submitted to the National Labor Relations Board. The Union has requested that the Company voluntarily recognize the new bargaining unit and commence negotiations as soon as possible.
"The System Operators... Read More
N.U. Call Center Workers Look to Join IBEW 1837
Customer Service Representatives at the Northeast Utilities Manchester Call Center are making a bid to join IBEW Local 1837, but Company representatives are pulling out the stops to try to thwart the campaign. More than 150 employees at the Center take customer calls for PSNH, Connecticut Light and Power and Western Massachusetts Electric, answering calls about billing and service for the electric utilities owned by N.U.
The Call Center workers have challenging jobs and work long hours, especially during storm restoration. They’ve cited a pattern of unfair, embarrassing and inconsistent... Read More
NH House Bill 1238 Would Force PSNH to Sell Their Generation Assets
February 7, 2012 - IBEW Local 1837 is in complete agreement with PSNH in their opposition to House Bill 1238, a bill that could affect 186 jobs for our members at generation facilities owned by the Company. These are good-paying union jobs, and many other non-union positions could also be impacted. As PSNH indicates in their flier distributed to employees . . .
"As proposed, House Bill 1238 would force PSNH to sell off PSNH Generation plants by December 1, 2013. If approved as proposed, this bill would have far-reaching consequences for the entire state, and could impact the ability for PSNH... Read More
IBEW 1837 Members Speak Out as Attacks on Unions Continue in the Granite State
January 23, 2012 - It’s a new year, but the same old story when it comes to an endless stream of union-busting legislation in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Lawmakers on the House Labor Committee listened to testimony from union members and their allies in opposition to several bills during public hearings on Wednesday, January 19, 2012. One of the bills would outlaw automatic dues deduction for union members and another would eliminate collective bargaining for all public sector workers – a bill even more extreme than what was rammed through in Wisconsin.
IBEW 1837 member and... Read More
Finally, A New Contract for IBEW 1837 Members at WGME-TV
October 21, 2011 - IBEW 1837 members at WGME-TV, channel 13 in Portland have approved a new, 3-year contract after a long and contentious struggle with parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. of Maryland. That struggle led to a national AFL-CIO boycott and the decision by Maine’s Democratic gubernatorial candidates not to advertise on the station during the 2010 primary campaign.
IBEW 1837 and Sinclair management began bargaining early in 2009 and negotiated for more than a year without reaching an agreement. In February of 2010, Sinclair declared that negotiations were “deadlocked” and... Read More
IBEW 1837 Member Mark Easter Gets Lifesaving Award
September 28, 2011 - In a ceremony attended by many of his co-workers at PSNH as well as company supervisors and officials from IBEW 1837, Mark Easter received the highest award his union offers: The IBEW Lifesaving Award. Brother Easter, an IBEW 1837 member since 1999, is a System Machinist in PSNH’s Generation Division working at the Hooksett Line Area Work Center.
The award stems from Mark’s response to a car crash earlier this year in Manchester, New Hampshire on the morning of February 9. Tom Powers of Merrimack was severely injured on the Amoskeag Bridge after being struck by a car... Read More
IBEW Local 1837 Members Ratify CMP Technical Administrative Unit Contract
July 8, 2011 - IBEW Local 1837 members working at Central Maine Power Company in the Technical and Administrative Bargaining Unit have ratified a new contract, their second since joining the union. After six weeks of negotiations, the membership followed the recommendation of their IBEW Negotiating Committee and approved the Company's offer. The final tally of votes was 85% to accept and 15% to reject and authorize a strike.
This group of workers has commonly been referred to as the “CMP 47” since that is how many workers were originally in the bargaining unit when they first filed for... Read More
IBEW Local 1837 Members Elect Officers, Representatives and Convention Delegates
June 17, 2011 - Union officers and representatives including President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Business Manager, Executive Board Representatives for each of the 11 units, and delegates to the IBEW International Convention were elected this month. Ballots were counted this morning at our Manchester, Maine office.
Dick Rogers was elected to his first term as Financial Secretary and Business Manager of the Local.
Raymond A. Colello was re-elected as President of the Local for another 3-year term. Vice President Bill Tarallo and Recording Secretary Pamela Paquette were... Read More
Granite Ridge Workers Ratify 2nd Contract
May 11, 2011 - Local 1837 members at the Granite Ridge power plant near Londonderry ratified their second contract agreement on last month, giving them a more than 9 percent wage increase over the life of the three-year deal (3 ½%, 3%, 3%), streamlined grievance and arbitration procedures, an extra paid holiday, and an increase in the call-out premium with less than 24 hours notice.
While it took a year to get their first contract, negotiations on its renewal only took weeks. “Things went a lot smoother this time around,” IBEW 1837 Assistant Business Manager Tom Ryan said. “Both sides were a... Read More