Company moves workers - declares new location NON-UNION!

Apparently slithering through one legal loophole after another, CMP has announced its decision to merge the non-union Lewiston Phone Center with the Union Fairfield Credit Center to a new location in Augusta and to declare the resulting department non-union.

The move is currently scheduled to take effect November 13. Union members and officials are continuing to work against the loopholes and allow the Fairfield workers to maintain their union status. In the meantime, please read the following

Remember the Dead

Support the Living

In a two to one vote September 14, Meter Readers in the PSNH Milford facility voted to join IBEW Local 1837. Prior to the vote, Milford was the only location in the company where Meter Readers were not represented by a union.

Following final approval of the vote by the National Labor Relations Board, the Meter Readers will be covered by the same contract that covers other IBEW 1837 workers in the company. They will be their own bargaining unit for purposes of job postings.

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: