IBEW Local 1837 members are teaming up with our brothers and sisters from other AFL-CIO unions to fight for a brighter future for workers across the United States. Now is a great time to make your union voice heard loud and clear as we prepare to elect a new President as well as other representatives at the federal, state and local level. In fact, Maine and New Hampshire have been identified as two of the six “battleground states” with competitive races that could impact the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

When the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued new guidelines in September of 2006, defining what constitutes a “supervisor” in the workplace, the three NLRB members appointed by President George W. Bush formed a majority that gave employers the weapon they needed to attack the eligibility of thousands of workers to belong to a union. Now, allies in the U.S. Congress of IBEW 1837 and other unions are fighting back with the RESPECT Act, hoping to restore the original intent of Congress that people with only minor supervisory duties should continue to have the right to join a union.

The NLRB issued their new guidelines in the Oakwood Healthcare case as a result of a United States Supreme Court decision on Kentucky River Community Care.

Gov. Bill Richardson and IBEW Asst. Business Manager Tom Ryan discuss PSNH Writers.New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, while campaigning in New Hampshire for the Democratic Presidential nomination, expressed concern to PSNH representatives about their anti-union tactics against IBEW 1837's drive to organize "Writers" at the company. Field Technicians and Field Technician Specialists (also known as "Writers") have recently been subjected to mandatory anti-union meetings at company facilities. These mandatory meetings could soon be outlawed under HB 254, now being considered by the New Hampshire Legislature.

Gov. Richardson was in Portsmouth touring Public Service of New Hampshire's Schiller plant on Sunday, May 6. The power plant, which recently converted one of its coal-fired boilers to wood chips, is seen by the former Energy Secretary as a model for helping to cut our reliance on fossil fuels while safeguarding the environment. While he was "impressed by the plant," Richardson took the opportunity to support the efforts of the Writers to join IBEW Local 1837.

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.

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. Their downloadable report, "Longer Hours, Less Pay" is very readable and worth reading.

What will the impact of the new rules be for union workers?