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.”
IBEW 1837 members at Emera Maine voted last week in locations throughout the service territory to approve the extension. The Union represents 225 workers at Maine’s second largest electric utility.