A former member of IBEW 1837 was repeatedly denied job opportunities because of a mistake in the federal Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. Although he had resolved a past violation, the employer responsible for updating the record never submitted the correction. As a result, the Clearinghouse continued to show an unresolved infraction. Every time a prospective employer ran a background check, it appeared the issue was still active—and he wasn’t hired. Once the record was corrected, he was finally able to return to work.

In early March, Linemen Tom Eaton (Eversource), Donny Palmer (Unitil), Greg Middleton (Versant Power), and Mechanic Wade Jandreau (Versant Power) represented Local 1837 at the IBEW National Safety Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Attending conferences and safety classes equips our members with the latest best practices—knowledge they can share locally to keep everyone safer on the job.

Members of IBEW Local 1837 at WGME-TV ratified a new three-year contract with Sinclair Broadcast Group, ending a difficult and drawn-out bargaining process that included multiple contract extensions, public pickets outside the TV station in Portland, and strong backing from community leaders and fellow union members across the state.

In a victory for labor unions and workers across Maine, the state legislature has defeated a so-called "Right-to-Work" bill in Augusta. An Act to Prohibit Labor Organizations from Imposing Mandatory Service Fees on Nonmembers (LD 187) aimed to weaken unions by allowing employees to opt out of paying dues while still benefiting from union-negotiated wages, benefits, and protections. Labor leaders warned that this “free rider” model would destabilize union funding and erode the collective power workers need to bargain effectively.

The latest drive for “right-to-work” in New Hampshire crashed into the brick wall of the state’s labor movement in February, as the IBEW and fellow unions overcame a huge Republican majority to defeat the bill for the 40th time.

"It was the heaviest lift of my career,” said state AFL-CIO President Glenn Brackett, former business manager of Manchester, N.H., Local 2320. “We started out 44 votes upside-down, and we ended up winning by 20.”

From campaign resources to member participation, Brackett said, the IBEW’s help was invaluable.