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."

The situation isn't all that rosy for the CMP workers, either. Several years ago CMP, in keeping with the current corporate trend toward a part-time and temporary workforce, established what they called a "part-time" line crew – workers who, unlike their co-workers in the rest of the company, have job security only for the duration of a particular project. They also might be assigned to Jackman for one project and York for the next. Although the IBEW has been able to negotiate several improvements in the benefits of the part-time crew, their total compensation and rights are still several notches below that of the regular CMP employees, who in turn are still below that of their Massachusetts counterparts.

These are the workers On-Target is using to do the work in Massachusetts. And, at the same time, according to Bob Dodge, Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 1837 which represents the CMP workers, "Union Water Power has set up a non-union company which is doing work for CMP on a daily basis". Or, in the words of one of the members of the CMP crew, "I'm driving to Southern New England every day (from Central Maine), and there are On-Target guys doing CMP work right down the road from my house!"

All this raises a lot of questions. Not only whether it was the intent of "deregulation" legislation to set workers up to bid down each other's wages, but who else is paying for all of this? Bob Ward wonders whether CMP ratepayers, in the end, are picking up the tab for CMP trucks that go to Massachusetts – or for the insurance for the CMP worker who was in injured on that job and is now unable to continue the On-Target work and is doing "light duty" at a CMP location.

Additionally, according to Dodge, CMP owns 38.5 percent of the stock of NEON (NorthEast Optic Network), the company for whom On-Target is doing the work in Massachusetts. "Makes you wonder how 'competitive' the bidding was" Dodge states.

Officials of Locals 119 (the local with whom On-Target actually has a contract) 104, and 1837, have met with representatives of CMP to attempt to iron out the situation. But sensing no real movement on the part of the company, the group decided to back Local 104 in it's decision to make the situation known to the stockholders at CMP's annual meeting of stockholders.

Picketers traveled up early from Massachusetts, and were joined at the Augusta Civic Center by members from Maine Locals 119, 567, 1253, 2327, and 1837. Carrying hand painted signs with slogans like "Who pays for CMP shenanigans?" or "Why are some CMP Employees Treated like Second Class Citizens?" or "We were here when you needed us (ice storm '98) and now you send On-Target to take our jobs", picketers paraded along the sidewalk in front of the Civic Center, talking with interested stockholders on their way to the meeting.

Because of a Career Day taking place Civic Center at the same time, the picketers also had several opportunities to discuss unions, unionism, and the issues related to the picketing with interested high school students on their way to and from buses.