There is a T&D Helper class of 18 starting on February 2nd and an Electrician class of 21 to follow. If the rumors hold true, there will be another class of each to follow in the summer and/or fall of this year. Please welcome the new members when you meet them. It is great to see the helpers coming in, but we still need to improve some things to retain folks in multiple work groups. We are continually working to improve morale and work practices.
The training center may be looking for additional T&D bargaining unit trainers to assist with future classes. There is a memorandum of agreement already in place if more help is needed.
Conversations have picked up for bargaining unit permit holders for mutual assistance contractors during storms. We are currently working on a memorandum of agreement for identified job descriptions to hold permits on a voluntary basis.
Our Grievance Resolution Committee kickoff meeting was rescheduled due to the January 25th snowstorm. We are rescheduled for February 4th and hope to clean up some of the backlog.
I had the opportunity to attend the North division safety forum and hear the story of Branden Bauer. If you were unable to attend, you can catch a condensed version on youtube by searching Branden’s Story Safe Electricity. I have listened to his presentation three times, and the last time was as powerful as the first. Safety is and has always been the most important part of the day. However, violations, depending on severity, are landing RBP decision making unpaid leave. Please take the time to tailboard thoroughly and perform the tasks using the proper tools and work practices. Motor vehicle incidents and accidents are resulting in RBP for the driver and if applicable, the passenger. Use a spotter any chance you can. The use of RBP is becoming increasingly excessive in some instances.
I attended the 3rd District Utility Workshop in New Jersey in late January. This was a great opportunity to share information, contracts, and learn from other Locals in the IBEW 3rd district.
The company’s response to storms has continued to be better than previous years. Allowing our folks to choose a rotation of shifts seems to help manage work life balance. Often, volunteers are acceptable to manage storms. There are still storms that result in forcing, but with flexibility. During the forced storms, the company has committed to listening and trying to accommodate and release individuals that have important events to attend during the storm. If you find yourself in this position, please reach out to your Supervisor, Field Manager, or Steward so we can attempt to assist you in making it to those events. I appreciate this storm strategy; we are in a better position than we were in 2024 and hope to continue to improve.
We have mutually settled two termination grievances prior to arbitration, and two more have been submitted for arbitration; updates are below.
25LEH-001 – Settled
25SUS-006 – Settled
25NE-008 – Submitted for Arbitration
25HBG-006 – Arbitration scheduled.
There have been a few questions about charges against other members. I encourage everyone to review Article 25 of the IBEW Constitution – Misconduct, Offenses, and Penalties. A quick google search will find the pdf, and you can reach out to the Local for a copy. Please reach out to a Steward, Chief, IBEW 1600 Leadership, or an Executive Board member if you have any questions or if we can assist in any matters prior to them landing in Article 25.
Remember, contract time is near. Now is the time to plan and prepare for negotiations in 2027. We all have heard the slogan and have seen the stickers – united we bargain, divided we beg. It’s time to unite and remove the division. We are much stronger when we support each other. Each job description and work group have pros and cons, and we need to work together to improve overall. The quicker we do this, the more we can achieve. I hope to see many of you at a unit meeting in the upcoming months. Dates and locations are at the bottom right of Local 1600’s homepage.
