June 6, 2008 - Television viewers in Maine and New Hampshire have been forced to endure a seemingly endless barrage of anti-union commercials in recent weeks. The TV ads, funded by the so-called “Center for Union Facts,” are being broadcast by television stations in Bangor and Portland. Viewers in New Hampshire can also watch those stations either over the airwaves or on cable.

The Center for Union Facts is a front group for a notorious Washington D.C. lobbyist named Richard Berman. The center is supported by business groups and anti-worker interests who seek to inflict the maximum possible damage on labor unions while staying discretely in the background. Berman himself is known for mounting public relations campaigns for corporate groups that seek to relax drunk driving laws, minimize the health risks associated with obesity and tanning, and prevent increases in the minimum wage. He has also advised that pregnant women can eat a lot more mercury-laden tuna than the FDA recommends. Berman doesn’t really care about canned tuna fish, or your rights in the workplace. He’s just a paid lobbyist looking to make a buck.

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.

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.

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.

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

Open Letter from the Union Workers at the Fairfield Phone Center: