June 27, 2008 – The National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. has denied IBEW Local 1837’s request for review of the decision rejecting the effort of PSNH Working Foremen to join our union. This effectively ends the months-long campaign to allow these workers to join IBEW 1837.
The original March 20th decision by the NLRB’s Regional Director determined that the Working Foremen are supervisors, not employees, and have no right to organize or to be represented by a union. The Working Foremen work shoulder-to-shoulder with our represented Lineworkers and perform nearly identical work for the Line Department at Public Service Company of New Hampshire.
The Working Foremen in Hooksett, Milford and Derry had petitioned to join IBEW last December, but those petitions were challenged by PSNH based on what the Company claimed to be their supervisory status. (Recent NLRB decisions have made it easier for employers to make that claim.)
The Union felt that the NLRB Regional Director’s decision agreeing with PSNH contained serious errors, but the NLRB denied the appeal request stating that “it raises no substantial issues warranting review.”
“I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating,” said IBEW 1837 Business Manager Cynthia Phinney. “This November we must elect a president who will appoint NLRB members willing to support working people and their unions. We also need to send representatives to the U.S. Congress who will fix our broken labor laws. If we fail to do so, the future of our union is very bleak, indeed. I invite and encourage all union members and working people in our country to get involved in the election process and be part of making sure that we turn this situation around.”