August Update
Posted: August 14, 2007
Hello Brothers and Sisters. We would like to take the time to update you on the current issues within IBEW Local 1238. Since our last update, IBEW Local 1238 and the City of Dover reached a tentative agreement as a result of 6 weeks of negotiations. I am pleased to announce that our Brothers and Sisters working for the City of Dover ratified the agreement and have a new contract which spans from 7/1/07- 6/30/10. We would like to thank the Negotiating Committee for all of their hard work and dedication. Special thanks to Aren Wright and Bill Hewlett for their participation in these negotiations. Brothers Wright and Hewlett kept the committee in tune with the membership so that we could address the issues that were most important to the group. Next, we would like to discuss safety. By now, I hope that all of you are aware of the meetings that Local 1238 has with the Company on the third Monday of every month to discuss and address the safety items that are not being handled at the SAC meeting level. As mentioned in our last posting, we have experienced some difficulties in removing barriers that pertain to the vehicle issues we have encountered. Thanks to the participation of our members on the Vehicle Standards Committee and a strong push from Square One, we are removing those barriers slowly but surely. The Company has committed to install high visibility flashers on all of the new trucks that have been (and will be) ordered and have developed an action plan for retrofitting the existing trucks as well. This was truly a team effort and although we are not pleased with the amount of time it took to address this issue, we are pleased with the fact that we are achieving results. We will continue to address your issues and concerns in our safety meetings and encourage any member with issue(s) to contact their steward or the Union Office to make us aware of anything that you may feel needs to be addressed under the topic of safety. As mentioned above, Square One has been instrumental in keeping the Union Office in touch with you safety concerns. We are extremely pleased with the membership participation in the Square One process and we believe that the heightened awareness of the membership is resulting in a noticeable reduction of on-the-job accidents. We would like to remind everyone that this is Local 1238’s Safety Process. The members whom are volunteering are taking an active role in the process and in turn supporting this Local in its efforts to create a safer workplace. As the Square One process progresses, we will be discussing the implementation of Phase II which will include more departments and require more volunteers. We are hopeful that the Phase II implementation will be in the very near future. There are some departmental issue on which we are working that we would like to touch on as well. It has come to our attention that the amount of work being contracted out from our Gas Department has become excessive. We will be working with the departmental leadership and our First Class Gas Mechanics to address these issues and get this work back into our bargaining unit where it belongs. We are confident that our members are better than any contractor out there and given the opportunity, we will shine as we always do. Line Department is experiencing many of the same issues as our Gas Department. Fortunately, we have some individuals within the Department that have taken an active role in reviewing the work being contracted and making a case to management on why this work belongs in the bargaining unit. As a result, we have acquired 2 jobs which would have otherwise gone to contractors. We appreciate the hard work of our stewards and officers in taking an active role in this process and would like to thank you all for supporting the Local. We are also meeting with the Company and discussing the possibility of a restructure in the Line Departments which would result in an automatic progression to first class. Meetings have been delayed due to the City of Dover Negotiations and vacation schedules of the key players in the process. We have involved Anthony Pini from Christiana and Rob Quinn from North East so that each department is represented. We will keep you posted on the progress of these negotiations. The Union is also meeting with the management staff at Carney’s Point to get in touch with the issues that seem to keep reoccurring at this facility. We have made some progress and I am pleased to announce that Patti Newberry and Diane Alvini have assumed active roles in meeting with the Company to address the day to day issues that are adversely affecting our members at the Carney’s Point Facility. We will keep you posted on the progress of these meetings and as issues are addressed, we will communicate them to you as soon as possible. I would like to remind you all that the Union Meeting is the second Tuesday of every month at the Union Hall. Until next time, we wish you all a safe and happy summer.
