IBEW 1837 News
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WABI-TV officially signed on
as Maine’s first television
station on January 25, 1953.November 19, 2019 - Operating Technicians at WABI-TV in Bangor, Maine, ratified a new 2-year contract this week with raises of 2.5% each year and a $250 signing bonus. The starting pay rate for Operating Technicians was also increased.
As part of the new agreement, the Union and WABI-TV's owner Gray Television agreed that non-bargaining unit employees may perform covered work on an intermittent basis so long as bargaining unit members are not displaced as a result and the number of bargaining unit positions are not reduced. In addition, any time a Technician is not scheduled in Master Control they may be assigned other reasonable duties which they are capable of performing.
Changes were made in the collective bargaining agreement's grievance and arbitration language that both sides agreed provided greater clarity to the process.
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October 16, 2019 - IBEW 1837 members at Emera Maine have ratified a 2-year contract extension that is contingent on the successful sale of the company to ENMAX of Calgary, Alberta. That proposed sale is currently being considered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission and may close over the next few months.
The extension includes a 3% annual wage increase in each of the two years of the agreement in all classifications with no other changes in the terms and conditions of the contract. The health insurance plan will also remain in place with no increase in cost for the first year and a cap in any cost increases in the second year.
“When ENMAX brought the proposed extension to us, we discussed it with our negotiating committee,” IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers said. “They agreed that we had an obligation to bring it to our membership for consideration. We’re pleased that our members will have some sense of security if the proposed sale is approved.”
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Senate President Troy Jackson August 7, 2019 - Senate President Troy Jackson, Rep. Seth Berry, IBEW Local 1837 and Emera ratepayers held a press conference in Orono to share their concerns about the proposed sale of Emera Maine to ENMAX of Calgary, Alberta.
Mainers are worried about the proposed sale of Emera Maine to ENMAX and the impact it could have on Emera Maine’s workers as well as the ratepayers of Maine’s second largest electric utility.
Specifically, they are concerned that ENMAX is paying too much ($1.3 Billion, all financed by debt) and is too small a company to provide the service Emera Maine’s ratepayers need and deserve. Cuts in staffing and service along with substantially increased electric rates may be necessary to help finance this proposed acquisition.
“More than 150,000 people in Northern Maine depend on Emera Maine for electricity, including myself. With so much at stake, we need to make sure the sale of Emera to ENMAX doesn’t leave hardworking families and seniors in the dark,” said President Jackson. “The PUC shouldn’t allow this deal to move forward unless it is in the best interest of Mainer ratepayers.”
Rep. Seth Berry is the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology.
"This sale has all the hallmarks of the FairPoint sale," Berry said, "and that is something that we need to avoid."
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The addition of line workers,
clerks and other personnel is
expected to help speed restoration
efforts after major storms.The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #1837 and Central Maine Power Company (CMP) have agreed to an extension of their staffing agreement that coupled with a staffing plan submitted to the Maine Public Utility Commission, includes a substantial increase in the number of workers employed at Maine’s largest electric utility.
IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers has been advocating for increased staffing for several years in discussions with CMP and the Public Advocate’s office as well as in testimony before the Maine Public Utilities Commission and the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology.
“I signed an extension of the staffing agreement that I believe, along with the staffing plan submitted by the company to the Maine Public Utility Commission and once fully implemented, will have the impact CMP’s customers and our members deserve including restoration efforts, new construction/customer service and safety,” Rogers said.
The “minimum” number of Union employees at CMP will increase from 546 to 606. That includes the addition of twelve (12) new line apprentices and four (4) new station apprentices. By 2024, the fully implemented minimum staffing number will be 665.
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IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers
paused during the new conference to
answer a reporter's question.January 28, 2019 - At a news conference at the Maine State House, Rep. Seth Berry, House Chair of the Energy and Utilities Committee, announced that he was submitting legislation to form a new consumer-owned utility.
The Maine Power Delivery Authority would not be run by the state and would not be financed by tax dollars in any way. If enacted, Maine Power would acquire all transmission and distribution assets of Central Maine Power and Emera Maine, compensating them fairly. All IBEW 1837 members would continue to be covered under the terms of their collective bargaining agreements.
IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers read the following statement at the news conference: "IBEW 1837 supports the consideration of any and all initiatives, including the proposed “Maine Power Delivery” bill, which would reposition Maine’s utilities for greater local control and better service at lower costs. IBEW 1837 believes that the current structure and workforce model, driven in large part due to the current utility ownership at CMP and Emera, has had a significant negative impact on all employees, and more importantly, the ratepayers in Maine. The union is committed to participating in the process to ensure that employees and ratepayers' interests are at the forefront of any proposed legislation. Our members and retirees have a wealth of experiences and knowledge and look forward to assisting in the development of any proposed legislation."
When questioned by a reporter, Rogers said that our represented lineworkers, clerks, customer service representatives and other workers have been struggling to maintain the quality of service that ratepayers deserve, in large part due to inadequate staffing. Rogers stopped short of endorsing the bill, saying that he needs to wait to see the final language in the legislation.
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Bill Brady is a Senior Production
Tech A for Brookfield in Maine.
Photo: Dave EstesSeptember 26, 2018 - It’s all too common for some people to question the need for unions in 2018. “Unions had their place in days gone by but they’re no longer necessary,” they say. But don’t say that to Bill Brady at Brookfield’s Renewable Energy. Bill is one member of IBEW Local 1837 who clearly understands the value of union membership and having union representation in today’s workplace.
When Brookfield announced their intentions in 2014 to pare back staffing at their Maine hydro facilities, IBEW Local 1837 proceeding to enter into a determined round of negotiations with the Company to make sure our members received respect and the best treatment possible under the circumstances. While some members eagerly accepted a package of buyouts and early retirement incentives, some of our members were not ready or able to take that step. The Company agreed to the Union’s proposal to give lengthy call-back rights to laid off workers for jobs that might open several years down the line.
For 54-year-old Senior Production Tech A, Bill Brady, it was a wait of 4 ½ years of working in non-union jobs and some challenging health problems, but his call-back finally came just before summer this year. Coming back to IBEW 1837 and his job at Brookfield was “like a cold drink after a long, hot day,” Bill said.
“The dynamics of a non-union shop were an eye opener,” Brady said. “Things like no bargaining for wage increase, no equal overtime possibility, management selected who was going to work or not. No protection of trade ownership, for example, I hold a welding certificate, but another coworker without certification was used. And by the way I was responsible for the cost of maintaining the licenses I hold. All these things seem to be too easy to be taken for granted when you have them, but when you don’t . . . Well you get the point.”
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Wyman Station is on Cousins
Island in Yarmouth, Maine.September 22, 2018 - IBEW 1837 members working for NextEra Energy at Maine’s Wyman Station ratified a 3-year contract extension earlier this week.
The idea of an extension to the collective bargaining agreement was initially proposed by Union Stewards at the oil-fired power plant. IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers brought the idea to the Company, who initially offered a 1.5% wage increase each year for three years with no other changes to the contract.
After some discussions between Rogers and the Company, the offer was improved to a wage increase of 2% in each of the first two years and 1.5% in the third year. A $750 ratification bonus was also in the Company’s extension offer. Again, there were no other changes to the contract.
NextEra members voted on Monday, September 17, to ratify the extension. The Union represents 32 workers at the Yarmouth, Maine power plant.
The extension comes at a challenging time for oil-fired generation and as the company announced plans to take two of Wyman Station’s four units offline.
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Under the new agreement, WGME's
News Photographers like David Hill
will receive hazardous duty pay during
some snowstorms.September 20, 2018 - IBEW 1837 members working for Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s Portland, Maine, television station ratified a new 3-year agreement this week after rejecting a previous offer from the company by a 37 – 5 margin and authorizing a strike. The overwhelming strike vote was the first at WGME-TV in 30 years and helped to persuade the Company to improve their wage offer beyond what they’ve been offering their other employees.
Wages for those at or above top scale will increase 6 ¾% over the 3-year agreement while other employees in the wage progression will receive larger step increases. News Editors will have their pay scale improved to the same level as Operating Technicians, a longtime priority of the Union given the increasing workload and responsibilities of News Editors and their previous low pay.
“We’re very proud that our members at WGME-TV were willing to stand up and stand together to get a better contract,” IBEW 1837 Business Manager Dick Rogers said. “They sent a strong message to the Company that they were unhappy.”
Other improvements include hazardous duty pay for News Photographers who drive during snowstorms when a state of emergency has been declared and the addition of drone photography for news and commercials to the jurisdiction of the bargaining unit. A Company proposal for mandatory, unpaid “on call” status for some employees on weekends was ultimately dropped in exchange for the Union’s promise to “strenuously” encourage our members to respond to emergent weekend calls for overtime and an obligation to work collaboratively with the Company to come up with an on-call system if it becomes necessary.
