Automated Meter Reading Has Big Impact on Workers; CMP Asks PUC for Rate Increase to Implement System
May 9, 2008 - Bangor Hydro Electric and Unitil have already made the switch to various forms of automated meter reading, resulting in the loss of dozens of Union jobs. Now, Central Maine Power has asked the Maine Public Utilities Commission to grant a significant rate increase to pay for the installation of an automated system at Maine’s largest electric utility.
CMP has thus far refused to talk to IBEW 1837 about how this will affect their employees if it is approved by the PUC. A decision is expected sometime in May. The Company currently has approximately 100 Revenue Data Readers on staff... Read More
New Hampshire Union Office Move to Dover is a Nice Step Up!
April 28, 2008 - After 10 years in our Rochester office, IBEW 1837 has relocated our New Hampshire office to Dover. Along with that move came an improved facility for conducting union business and working with our members in the Granite State.
 
Since 1998, IBEW 1837 rented space atop a dental office on Main Street in Rochester. Although the location was fine, the space was somewhat cramped and antiquated, making it difficult to hold meetings with our members or store some of the important documents associated with our local. When our dentist/landlord decided to expand his dental... Read More
Workers Ratify First IBEW Contract at Granite Ridge Energy
April 1, 2008 - Workers at Granite Ridge Energy in Londonderry, New Hampshire have ratified their first union contract, a three-year deal with substantial wage increases for most workers. The power plant workers voted to join IBEW Local 1837 on August 4, 2006. The represented workers include all maintenance and operating personnel at the plant.
 
“Our new members at Granite Ridge have shown tremendous determination in staying together through this long process, resulting in good language for the contract,” said IBEW Assistant Business Manager Tom Ryan. “I’m also pleased that we’ve been... Read More
IBEW 1837 Pursues Appeal of NLRB Decision on PSNH Working Foremen
IBEW Local 1837 will pursue an appeal of the March 20th National Labor Relations Board decision that rejected the bid of PSNH Working Foremen in Hooksett, Milford and Derry to join the Union. The Working Foremen work shoulder-to-shoulder with our represented Lineworkers and perform nearly identical work for the Line Department.
The Union has studied the Regional Director's decision finding that the Working Foremen are not employees, and have no right to organize or to be represented by a union. We feel there are some serious errors in that decision, and have instructed our counsel... Read More
NLRB Denies Workers' Right To Join Union
The National Labor Relations Board has rejected the bid of Working Foremen in the Line Department of PSNH to join IBEW Local 1837. The Working Foremen work shoulder-to-shoulder with our represented Lineworkers and perform nearly identical work for the Line Department.


 
In a ruling dated March 20, 2008, the NLRB's Regional Director disagreed with the Union and agreed with Public Service Company of New Hampshire, finding that the Working Foremen - Line were statutory supervisors. Under the terms of the National Labor Relations Act, workers determined to be supervisors are not eligible... Read More
The Current Newsletter - Winter 2008
The Current is distributed quarterly by IBEW 1837 stewards at worksites. You can also download the most recent edition here. Highlights include:
   PSNH Fights Bid of Working Foremen to Join IBEW 1837
   Members Ratify 5-Year Deal at FPL Energy Maine
    WGME Unfair Labor Practice Trial Set for March 4th
Tentative Agreement Reached at Granite Ridge
Tentative agreement has been reached at Granite Ridge Energy in Londonderry, NH, for a first contract between IBEW 1837 and NAES (North American Energy Services). Following a union election and months of negotiation, the parties today (March 18, 2008) reached tentative agreement on a three-year contract package. The package will be voted on by eligible employees at Granite Ridge on Monday, March 24 between 4:00 and 9:00pm at the Plumbers and Pipefitters union hall in Hooksett.
Seven is the Lucky Number!
What can seven members at a unit meeting do? (Besides come up with good ideas about things to put on a union t-shirt). They can VOTE. Unit members may want to make a motion to recommend something to the executive board. Unit members get to nominate people for elected union positions. Most actions of the Executive Board aren’t final unless the members vote to approve them. BUT……..The IBEW Constitution defines a quorum for union meetings as seven members. So if there aren’t seven members present there isn’t a quorum and we can discuss anything we want to but we won’t get to vote.
 
So –... Read More
Sign Me Up for Labor 2008 with the Maine and New Hampshire AFL-CIO!
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.
The last eight years have seen an unprecedented attack on the rights of workers... Read More
PSNH Fights Bid of Working Foremen to Join IBEW 1837; NLRB Set to Decide if Union Elections Will Be Held
 
Nashua City Hall, site of the first day of hearings. Public Service Company of New Hampshire has challenged the right of Working Foremen in the Line Department to be represented by IBEW before the National Labor Relations Board. In six days of hearings beginning in Nashua on January 7th and ending in Boston on the 17th, the Company sought to portray the Working Foremen as an integral part of their management team while the Union strongly defended the right of these workers to join IBEW.
 
Under the terms of the National Labor Relations Act, labor unions may not represent “... Read More