Kittery Water District Workers Ratify "First Contract" with IBEW
December 30, 2020 - At least one good thing has come out of a very bad year: Workers at the Kittery Water District have overwhelmingly ratified their first contract with IBEW Local #1837. The 15 workers at the water utility include office staff, filtration plant workers, laborers, meter readers, service technicians and others.
“We’re grateful to negotiating team members Linda Johnson, Matthew Crosby, and Brandon Woods for the time and effort they put into making this a good first contract,” said IBEW 1837 Organizer and Business Representative Matt Beck. “The contract guarantees that they will... Read More
IBEW 1837 at Granite Shore Power
IBEW Local 1837 represents a total of 46 members at Newington and Merrimack Generating Stations in New Hampshire. These fossil fuel power stations were acquired by Granite Shore Power from Eversource NH in 2018 as part of the legislatively mandated divestiture agreement. Schiller Station was also part of that sales agreement but is no longer operating. Newington and Merrimack provide critical sources of electricity to the ISO-New England electrical grid.
Stewards at Granite Shore Power: Adam Morin and Ezra Carr
IBEW 1837 Joins Effort to Save Brookfield Dams on the Kennebec
IBEW 1837 has joined Brookfield Renewables and the Kennebec River Alliance in a bid to prevent the removal of dams on the Kennebec River where our members work generating electricity. A proposal to amend Maine’s Kennebec River Management Plan and remove at least two and eventually as many as four dams has been withdrawn. That apparent victory for dam supporters was just one step in a complicated and hard to follow licensing process.
First, Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) said removing the Lockwood Dam in Waterville and the Shawmut Dam in Fairfield would allow 99% of endangered... Read More
Contracts Ratified by IBEW 1837 Members
 
Central Maine Power Members Ratify 4-Year Contract
IBEW members working at Central Maine Power voted to approve a new collective bargaining agreement with guaranteed wage increases and annual bonus payments, and without significant concessions of any kind. Voting took place at 15 different locations throughout the state on Wednesday, May 5th. The contract takes effect immediately and runs through April 30, 2025.
“The ratification of the new 4-... Read More
Changes in Union Leadership
Tony Sapienza took over as the Business Manager/Financial Secretary with the retirement of Dick Rogers, effective October 1, 2020. He was unopposed in the Union election held this summer. Brother Sapienza had served as Assistant Business Manager for New Hampshire the previous two years. He realizes that taking over from Dick Rogers will be a tough act to follow.
“Dick left some big shoes to fill and I’m glad that he has offered to continue to work with us and provide advice when we need it,” Sapienza said. “I’m grateful for the mentoring and confidence he has provided me.
Tony is on a... Read More
Member Mark Easter Receives IBEW Lifesaving Award
IBEW 1837 Business Rep. Matt Beck Retires
There have been numerous watershed moments in the labor movement in Maine and New Hampshire, and for the past three decades – Matt Beck has been at the forefront for nearly all of them.  From a contentious effort, which successfully stopped an attempt to bring “right to work,” to the Granite State in 2011 – to supporting his union brothers and sisters on the picket lines during the strike at the New Hampshire Electric Co-Op in 2018 – Beck has had his hand in numerous events through the years, in addition to countless organizing campaigns and contract negotiations.
After more than 35... Read More
8M New Jobs Fuel Stronger Employment Market
Nearly 8 million new jobs have been added to the U.S. economy since the end of 2020. This means that employment is nearly matching pre-pandemic levels from two years ago. Construction is among the leading sectors for job growth, and that is only likely to improve as funding for infrastructure projects resulting from the historic new law comes to fruition.
Economists predict the job market will return to pre- pandemic levels by the end of 2022.
“It’s mindbogglingly fast and sustained growth – well over half a million jobs added per month on average for... Read More
Help Wanted: Electrical Lineworker Program Faculty/Department Chair
Good job opportunity at Kennebec Valley Community College for a retired lineworker or anyone with that skillset. More information and contact info in this link: CLICK HERE
IBEW Local #1837 Int’l Convention Delegates Selected
IBEW Local #1837 have been nominated and selected to serve as delegates to the International Brotherhood of
International Convention in Chicago: IBEW 1837 Business Manager Tony Sapienza, IBEW 1837 President Michelle Crocker, IBEW 1837 Organizer/ Business Representative Matt Beck, IBEW 1837 Vice Pres. Bob McNeff, E-Board Rep Kitty Kilroy, and retiree Bill Tarallo. Since the number of nominees was equal to the number of delegates for our Local, there will not be a  n election held for those seats.