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.”
The situation Ward is referring to has apparently been brewing for some time. Ward explains that CMP Group, through it’s subsidiary Union Water Power, has spun off yet another subsidiary, On-Target. While CMP is still a regulated company under so-called deregulation, Union Water Power and On-Target are no longer subject to the same strict controls. While this may seem like nothing more than a lot of bureaucratic foolishness, it has a direct impact on the workers involved. “They’re using CMP employees, and they’re coming down into our area and undercutting workers here.”