Independence Day Union Style
The crowd was addressed by both Congressman Mike Michaud and Congressman Tom Allen, both of whom also spent time chatting with event attendees.
Music was provided by Shawn Mercer in the earlier part of the evening, and the Toughcatswound out the event leading up to the fireworks. Between music acts, "EFCA" man took the stage in a raucous skit featuring a reporter scaring up stories about injustice at Circuit City, the unworkability of the Verizon Sale, and the misdeeds of the senators from Maine in the vote on the Employee Free Choice Act.
Proceeds from the event benefit the... Read More
PSNH "Writers" Vote to Join IBEW 1837; 100% of Eligible Voters Cast Ballots
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.
The Union's election victory came at the end of a long and difficult campaign. After IBEW filed the petition to represent the "Writers" for the purpose of... Read More
CMP 47 Takes to Streets Again
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. The Negotiating Committee meets again... Read More
IBEW 1837 Wins NLRB Decision on Bargaining Unit for PSNH "Writers"
The Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board has determined that a system-wide unit would be appropriate for Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists (also known as “Writers”) at Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH), the state’s largest electrical utility. IBEW Local 1837 had petitioned for such a unit, only to have it challenged by an attorney for PSNH who sought to have the 33 employees divided into 13 or 14 separate bargaining units
Final Rallies for Employee Free Choice Act Held as U.S. Senate Vote Looms
Monday and Tuesday, June 18 & 19, local workers and labor and community leaders across Maine and New Hampshire gathered outside the offices of our U.S. Senators to call on them to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act -- legislation that would make it more difficult for employers to thwart workers’ efforts to form unions to bargain for better wages and benefits. Members of the New Hampshire and Maine AFL-CIOs and Central Labor Councils, community activists and workers will gather for rallies in Manchester, New Hampshire and Augusta, Bangor, Lewiston and Portland in Maine.
“The... Read More
CMP Sees Red
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. When the new group of 47, many of them professional employees, voted in 2006 to join the union, the Company insisted that they intended to negotiate an... Read More
Presidential Candidate Questions PSNH About Anti-Union Campaign
Gov. Bill Richardson and IBEW Asst. Business Manager Tom Ryan discuss PSNH Writers.
 
 
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, while campaigning in New Hampshire for the Democratic Presidential nomination, expressed concern to PSNH representatives about their anti-union tactics against IBEW 1837's drive to organize "Writers" at the company. Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists (also known as "Writers") have recently been subjected to mandatory anti-union meetings at company facilities. These mandatory meetings could soon be outlawed under HB 254, now being considered by... Read More
IBEW 1837 MAKES ITS CASE FOR PSNH "WRITERS" STATEWIDE UNIT AT NLRB HEARING
Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists at Public Service Company of New Hampshire are awaiting a decision from the National Labor Relations Board to determine if they can have a statewide bargaining unit as IBEW Local 1837 has proposed. The NLRB held a hearing in Boston on May 15 and 16 to determine the scope of the proposed bargaining unit for the "Writers" at PSNH.
At the hearing, an attorney for PSNH argued that the employees cited in the Representation Petition should be split into more than a dozen different bargaining units across the state. IBEW feels strongly that the... Read More
Unfair Labor Practice Charges Settled Against CMP
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.
Immediately after the Union was certified to represent them, the Company announced that members of a unit of 47 employees would not be eligible for merit increases, for the all-employee incentive bonus, and certain other programs. Believing the changes to be illegal unilateral changes to mandatory subjects of bargaining, IBEW had attempted to convince CMP to withdraw the... Read More
nti-Union Meetings Scheduled at PSNH for "Writers" Seeking To Join IBEW 1837
Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) has scheduled mandatory "Face-to-Face" anti-Union meetings for Field Technicians A/B/C and Field Technician Specialists who are seeking to join IBEW Union Local 1837. This comes in the wake of the withdrawal of our petition and the rescheduling of a hearing at the National Labor Relations Board in Boston. (See "NLRB Meeting for PSNH Writers Rescheduled" website story posted on April 13, 2007.)
In agreeing to this withdrawal and refiling, our attorney requested that PSNH agree to refrain from engaging in anti-union activities between the date of withdrawl... Read More