National Safety Council Congress and Expo
Safety Concerns Highlighted for IBEW 1837 Members
IBEW 1837 members Ray Boyle, Bill DeMotta, and Assistant Business Manager Bill Dunn represented our union at the 2006 National Safety Council Congress and Expo in San Diego. The November gathering was billed as "the largest annual event in the world of Safety, Health and the Environment."
The National Safety Council was founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953. The Council's mission is to educate and influence people to prevent accidental injury and death. Many IBEW locals from around the country gathered at the Congress and... Read More
Non-Union Employees at CMP Seek to Join Union
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever be sitting in a union meeting”. This sentiment has been echoed by several workers in a group of non-union workers at CMP who have been so frustrated by changes made since Energy East took over their company that they are now actively seeking to join the union.
Many of the workers have had no raises in two or three years, while their contributions to health insurance plans have skyrocketed faster than those of their union co-workers whose payments are locked in for the duration of their five-year contract. Job duties have changed, and workers... Read More
CMP Payroll Issues Flare Again
CMP (Energy East) has again discovered a raft of apparent errors in their payroll system. Although the problems are apparently company wide for Energy East and include both union and non-union workers, 131 IBEW 1837 members have received letters either asking for refund of alleged overpayments or with checks for alleged underpayments. Many but not all of the errors are related to 401(k) withholdings. Others are apparently miscalculated callouts and other miscellaneous errors.
IBEW 1837 is advising members to request proof before authorizing repayment of the alleged overpayments, since the... Read More
USA Program Unites Farmers, Union Members
When local farmers answered a union request for assistance providing Thanksgiving dinners to laid off workers, a new alliance was born. Understanding that both farmers and workers face challenges posed by corporate global trading injustice, the farmers stepped up to the plate and made wonderful dinners possible for the laid off workers through the Food AND Medicine program and the Greater Bangor Central Labor Council.
Wanting to continue the mutually beneficial relationship, Food AND Medicine later worked with the farmers to design a program on the model of other Community Supported... Read More
Newly Organized CMP Dispatchers to Begin Negotiations
System and Area Dispatchers at CMP voted in February to join IBEW Local 1837. The Local already represents about 600 other workers throughout the company.
Negotiations will begin with the Company on April 26. The newly organized workers have already met to formulate proposals and select a Negotiating Committee. The Committee has been working to refine the proposals and build a negotiating strategy.
Additional dates are being scheduled for May and June.
Newly Organized CMP Dispatchers to Begin Negotiations
System and Area Dispatchers at CMP voted in February to join IBEW Local 1837. The Local already represents about 600 other workers throughout the company.
Negotiations will begin with the Company on April 26. The newly organized workers have already met to formulate proposals and select a Negotiating Committee. The Committee has been working to refine the proposals and build a negotiating strategy.
Additional dates are being scheduled for May and June.
New Overtime Rules Take Effect
The new overtime rules in the Fair Labor Standards Act, pushed by the Bush Administration under the guise of "updating", took effect August 23 after lengthy and repeated efforts to amend or defeat them were thwarted by the Bush administration. For an analysis of the situation and the new rules, visit the Economic Policy Institute overtime page. Their downloadable report, "Longer Hours, Less Pay" is very readable and worth reading.
What will the impact of the new rules be for union workers?
Overtime rules for union-represented workers are spelled out in the collectively bargained contract... Read More
Companies Playing The Role of Parents - Attack on Tobacco
There seems to be a new move afoot in the corporate world to enter the realm of controlling the personal health practices of employees. IBEW 1837 first saw this when Bangor Hydro (BHE) announced the implementation of a new “tobacco-free workplace” policy that covered not only smoking but also the use of smokeless tobacco products.
Smoking is widely accepted as affecting not only the users but also those in nearby surroundings, so policies considering the rights of both may be considered reasonable. However, rules governing the use of smokeless tobacco are an unprecedented step at our... Read More
PSNH "Writers" Poised to Vote in NLRB Mail Ballot Election
Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists (also known as "Writers") at Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) will be voting by mail ballot in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The election will determine whether or not the Writers desire to be represented for purposes of collective bargaining by our union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 1837, AFL-CIO.
The NLRB has confirmed the following arrangements for this election:
Thursday, June 28: NLRB Mails Election Notices to Eligible Employees
Thursday, July 5:... Read More
CMP Fiber Microwave Techs Ratify Their First Union Contract
February 24, 2014 - Fiber Microwave Technicians at Central Maine Power have ratified their first union contract. These six workers are now part of the largest existing bargaining unit at CMP along with hundreds of other IBEW members. The Fiber Microwave Technicians voted to have union representation in a National Labor Relations Board election last May.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re better off,” said Phil Fessenden, one of the Fiber Microwave Techs. “It was an avenue to better our position at CMP and ensure a more productive future for our department.”
The Fiber Microwave Techs are... Read More