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 and date of refiling our petition, and the Company's attorney indicated that he would speak with PSNH and try to get them to agree to this. However, no agreement in this regard was finalized before the petition was withdrawn, because of the press of time.

IBEW Local 1837 is working with the national AFL-CIO to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) as it moves to the United States Senate. In Maine, Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are being asked by union members to sign on as co-sponsors of the bill. In New Hampshire, we are asking Sen. John E. Sununu to do the same.

As it stands now, the cards are stacked against unions in favor of the employers during any campaign to organize workers into a bargaining unit so that they may enjoy the benefits of union representation. Workers who try to exercise their legal right to organize in the workplace are often threatened, harassed, intimidated—even fired!

The Employee Free Choice Act would help to restore workers’ rights by doing the following:

· Establish stronger penalties for violation of employee rights.

A hearing before the National Labor Relations Board in Boston has been rescheduled to mid-May. The hearing before the NLRB Regional Director will determine the scope of the bargaining unit for the Writers at Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH).

A substantial majority of PSNH Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists, also known as “Writers,” have authorized IBEW Local 1837 to represent them for the purpose of collective bargaining. On Friday, March 30, 2007, IBEW asked PSNH to voluntarily recognize our Union as Bargaining Representative for the 32 employees in those job classifications. The Company declined our request.

The newly-chartered Western Maine Labor Council is hosting the First Annual Workers Memorial Day/May Day Breakfast on Saturday, April 28 at 9:00am. This exciting new event will be held at the historic Bates Mill Complex in Lewiston, on the 2nd floor above Davinci’s Restaurant at 35 Canal Street. Doors will open and a tour of Museum L/A at 8:00am. Join us to celebrate the gains of working people and to honor Maine workers who have died on the job this year. The event will feature good food, live music with “Nine to Nine,” guest speakers and an opportunity to honor Maine workers.