Business Manager Tony Sapienza
P: (603) 743-1652
The parents of Brent Churchill, a member of this local who died tragically while restoring electrical power after a storm in 1999, have worked with their local legislator, Representative Walter Gooley of Farmington, to propose legislation they hope will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The draft of the language for the bill (LD 869) became public on Wednesday, February 14.
Thirteen members and one family member attended the legislative hearing on March 8, 2001 at the Maine State Capitol. Seven of them gave oral and written testimony in support of the bill. Below is testimony from some of them.
Jane Allen
Dale Blethen
Joan Blethen
Bob Dodge
Dana Hayes
Bob Reed
Jane Allen's Testimony
Senator Ferguson, Representative Savage, Honorable Committee Member:
For Immediate Release:
Utility deregulation continued to unfold this morning with the surprise announcement of the purchase of CMP by Energy East. Union workers have known that the current maneuvering of forces in the newly deregulated industry meant this could happen, but this particular deal was as much a surprise to the union as to the general public.
Rainy weather and short notice wasn't enough to stop twenty-plus IBEW members from turning out to picket the CMP annual meeting on May 21. Although the circumstances could have caused these workers to blame each other for their situation, they decided to band together and point their fingers at the company who is pulling the strings.
According to Bob Ward of Local 104, "We wanted to bring our situation to the attention of the stockholders – to have our side heard."
Rainy weather and short notice wasn't enough to stop twenty-plus IBEW members from turning out to picket the CMP annual meeting on May 21. Although the circumstances could have caused these workers to blame each other for their situation, they decided to band together and point their fingers at the company who is pulling the strings.
According to Bob Ward of Local 104, "We wanted to bring our situation to the attention of the stockholders – to have our side heard."
February 12, 2014 - IBEW Local 1837 and Central Maine Power have reached a landmark two-year settlement agreement that creates new union positions, sets base line staffing levels in each of the classification groupings, provides certain protections against layoffs, and creates new overtime opportunities in areas that are using DLI contractors. This wide-ranging agreement suspends a pending arbitration case over CMP’s use of contractors while preserving the Union’s right to grieve and arbitrate the present and future use of them.
February 10, 2014 - Customer Service Representatives at the Central Maine Power Call Center in Augusta have ratified their first union contract with the Company. An overwhelming majority of the 46 CSR’s voted late last week to accept the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between IBEW Local 1837 and CMP. The workers had voted to organize a union this past June.
November 27, 2013 - IBEW members working for NextEra Energy Resources at their Maine fossil plants have ratified a one-year contract extension. The collective bargaining agreement will run through February 28, 2015.
NextEra owns the oil-fired Wyman Station in Yarmouth and the much smaller oil-fired Cape Energy in South Portland. Both plants, which run primarily during times of peak demand for electricity, were put up for sale earlier this year. They are the only remaining NextEra facilities in Maine.
November 26, 2013 - The Building Mechanics and Attendant at Public Service Company of New Hampshire have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement and have officially become members of IBEW Local Union #1837. The contract vote was held this morning at the PSNH garage facility in Manchester.
November 22, 2013 - IBEW Local #1837 has announced a final agreement between the Union and Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners officials on the company’s reorganization plans and a 4-year extension of the parties’ Collective Bargaining Agreement.