IBEW 1837 News

PSNH "Writers" Poised to Vote in NLRB Mail Ballot Election

Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists (also known as "Writers") at Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) will be voting by mail ballot in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The election will determine whether or not the Writers desire to be represented for purposes of collective bargaining by our union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 1837, AFL-CIO.

The NLRB has confirmed the following arrangements for this election:

CMP Fiber Microwave Techs Ratify Their First Union Contract

February 24, 2014 - Fiber Microwave Technicians at Central Maine Power have ratified their first union contract. These six workers are now part of the largest existing bargaining unit at CMP along with hundreds of other IBEW members. The Fiber Microwave Technicians voted to have union representation in a National Labor Relations Board election last May.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re better off,” said Phil Fessenden, one of the Fiber Microwave Techs. “It was an avenue to better our position at CMP and ensure a more productive future for our department.”

New Overtime Rules Take Effect

The new overtime rules in the Fair Labor Standards Act, pushed by the Bush Administration under the guise of "updating", took effect August 23 after lengthy and repeated efforts to amend or defeat them were thwarted by the Bush administration. For an analysis of the situation and the new rules, visit the Economic Policy Institute overtime page.

CMP Unwilling to Guarantee Pay Accuracy

For the third time since transferring payroll responsibility from CMP Augusta to the Energy East facility at Pineland, CMP will be notifying a large number of employees that their paychecks were miscalculated. While some will learn that the company owes them a refund, most who recieve letters will be notified that they owe the company money.

IBEW 1837 is advising ALL members who work at CMP to check your pay stubs carefully each week to be sure that your pay is calculated correctly, and that the right amount is deducted for your 401(k).

Comp Time Proposals Bad for Workers

Several bills in Congress threaten to weaken the overtime protections that most of us currently take for granted under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA). Several proposals sponsored and supported by Republican legislators aim to give companies more flexibility on whether they have to pay time and a half after forty hours.

NH Sends "Right To Work For Less" Down To Defeat!

A tremendous effort by union members and supporters to educate legislators about the value of unions and the anti-union nature of the so-called "right to work" bill paid off when the legislature voted against the bill. Below is a listing by county of each legislator, and how they voted.

Union Busting at CMP

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

IBEW Supports Sept 11 Victims

Remember the Dead

Support the Living

PSN Milford Meter Votes to Join IBEW 1837

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.

Maine Legislature to Consider Lineworker Safety Act

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.

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