IBEW 1837 Member Bids to Become Maine AFL-CIO President
UPDATE: October 23, 2015 - Cynthia Phinney won election to a 4-year term as President of the Maine AFL-CIO at their state convention in Bangor.
October 15, 2015 - Cynthia Phinney's dedication to making things better for working people is a big part of who she is and what she has done since first joining the Union in 1992 as an employee of Central Maine Power Company. The first person hired strictly as an Organizer for IBEW Local #1837, she held that job for several years before serving two terms as the Union's Business Manager and Financial Secretary. Her decision to run for President of... Read More
IBEW 1837 Assistant Business Manager Bill Dunn Retires
October 1, 2015 - After serving union members for more than 20 years, first as an IBEW Shop Steward and then as an Assistant Business Manager beginning in 2006, Bill Dunn retired this week from his position with IBEW and his job at Central Maine Power Company.
Brother Dunn, 55, started working for Maine’s largest utility in 1983. After 2 ½ years in the Meter Department, Bill moved over to the Line Department where he spent the rest of his years at CMP. He first became a Union Shop Steward in 1994 at the urging of Bob Dodge, the Assistant Business Manager that Bill would replace 12 years later... Read More
Union Members Celebrate Labor's Day in New Hampshire and Maine
September 1, 2015 - The first Monday in September is a day for workers: Labor's Day. It's a popular time for union members and their families to possibly enjoy one last taste of summer while taking stock of the many challenges facing working people today. Special guest speakers and awards are part of the program at some events sponsored by the two State AFL-CIO's and some Central Labor Councils.
Breakfasts and barbecues in New Hampshire and Maine draw hundreds of workers every year and Labor Day 2015 will be no exception. Some events are free or low priced, while others request a larger... Read More
Popular Eversource System Electrician Retires After 45 Years
August 26, 2015 - It would be hard to find someone at Eversource more well-liked than Tom Rzasa, a System Electrician at 1250 Hooksett Rd. T&D who retired at the end of July after 45 years with the Company. A friendly and easy-going guy, Brother Rzasa has seen a lot of changes since he started at New Hampshire’s largest electric utility in 1970.
 “It was a much different feel back then, more like family,” Tom said. “I was there about a week when they brought me in and took my picture with people and everyone was saying hello and calling me by name. Someone said ‘Do you know who that... Read More
New Contract Ratified at Emera Maine
July 16, 2015 - IBEW 1837 members at Emera ratified a new 5-year contract on July 2nd that includes wage increases in most classifications and comparatively modest increases in health insurance premiums for all members. Voter turnout was high with more than 90% of the 200 workers in the bargaining unit casting ballots in either Bangor or Presque Isle.
Over the term of the agreement most of the workers will see a nearly 15% wage increase with a notable exception being the 20 Customer Service Representatives and three Stockhandlers in the southern part of the Emera territory. The Company had... Read More
CSR's at Eversource in NH Make Second Bid to Join Union
UPDATE: July 8, 2015 - The final result of the NLRB election was a narrow Union loss 64 - 60. As a result these workers will continue to be unrepresented employees of Eversource.
June 29, 2015 - A majority of the Customer Service Representatives at Eversource Customer Experience in Manchester, New Hampshire (also known as the "Call Center") have signed union authorization cards to be represented by IBEW Local #1837. An election to certify the Union as their bargaining representative will be administered by the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, July 8.
There are 130 Customer Service... Read More
Eversource Workers in MA Reach Tentative Agreement
June 2, 2015 - Negotiators for the Utility Workers Union of America Local 369 and Eversource have reached a tentative contract agreement for workers at the former NStar in Massachusetts. A strike threat had been looming for weeks, potentially affecting workers in New Hampshire employed by the Company.
According to the UWUA Local 369 website, a ratification vote has been scheduled for June 11. Challenging issues during weeks of negotiations included job security, working conditions and health care.
"The medical was an issue and we came to an agreement on that," said Dan Hurley, the... Read More
IBEW 1837 Members at Eversource Generation in NH Ratify Extension Agreement
May 21, 2015 - IBEW members working in the electric generation assets of Eversource NH (formerly PSNH) have overwhelmingly ratified an agreement that extends their current contract while providing additional employee protections if the fossil or hydro facilities are sold or closed.
Eversource entered into settlement talks related to the divestiture of their generating assets as the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission was responding to a law passed last year that gave them the authority to force the Company to sell them if it was in the “economic interest” of ratepayers. PSNH had been... Read More
NH AFL-CIO Scholarship Deadline Extended to May 15, 2015
The deadline to submit essays and application forms for the NH AFL-CIO Scholarship has been extended. They must be received no later than 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 15, 2015 by the NH AFL-CIO Scholarship Committee, 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, NH 03106.
This year, the NH AFL-CIO will again award scholarships to members in good standing of an affiliated local union, their spouses, children, stepchildren, or legal wards.  First prize is $1,000.  Additional prizes are contingent on funding.
Scholarship applicants must submit a 750-1,000 word (3 to 4 pages double-spaced) essay on the... Read More
IBEW Members at Portland TV Stations Narrowly Ratify New Contract
April 16, 2015 - A 3-year contract agreement has been ratified by IBEW Local #1837 members working at WGME and WPFO in Portland, Maine. The margin in favor of the new deal with the Sinclair Broadcast Group was the tightest in the union’s history at the CBS affiliate.
“It was clear from the discussions we had with members that most of them were very dissatisfied with the contract package,” IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers said. “I think that a narrow majority just felt that the Union Negotiating Team had probably gotten the best deal they could get from this company.”
The union... Read More