Here it is the beginning of October and today (October 7th) it’s a muggy 79 degrees…that’s okay it’s going to change overnight and fall weather will follow. It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted an article. There has been so much going on, so I’m going to hit some of the highlights.
Ephrata Borough
25EPH-001 – Electric Department – Borough not following the agreed to apprentice program time line and delaying promotion to the next level due to training even though the employees were available for training – SETTLED – employees were promoted to appropriate level based on time frame negotiated in the Electric Dept MA and received a lump sum payment. It has been repeatedly stressed that the training continue for not only the affected employees but the entire work group.
Water Department – There were meetings regarding the work environment in the Water Department. To date, although not resolved entirely, it has subsided and it’s my understanding that all employees are working in a professional and respectful manner. If that is not the case I ask the impacted employee(s) to contact me to discuss.
PPL
CCC Vacancies – There have been multiple vacancies declared at the CCC for the CSA1 job classification, as of this writing there have been 5 classes dating back to 4/28/25. That’s great right? You would think so. However what appeared to be a spark in the Company’s recognition of the need to fill these vacancies quickly fizzled out. Based on the information received from the Company the following has occurred:
• There were 36 new hires between 4/28/25 and 8/4/25.
• Theres’s been a reduction of 15 as of today due to voluntary resignation or termination for attendance and/or behavior.
• There has been NO corresponding reduction of contractor staffing.
I’m confused (doesn’t take much), we received a contractor notification for Accenture (yes in addition to the overly staffed iQor contractor that’s a discussion for another day) on 9/5/25 stating the Company needed to use the contractor due to the employees with the skills being fully employed….hmmmm. I don’t get it, the Company gives me reasons of the need to provide training or even find the training or can’t get appropriate new hires…on and on and on. Tiring I know.
On the bright side there have been some promotions at the CCC from CSA3 to CSR, which is much needed. I’m hopeful there’s more of that. I will say with regards to the terminations, I’ve stated this in every orientation class I go to “you need to report to work.” If for some reason there is an emergency or illness that you can’t come to work please report off properly before the start of your shift. It’s no guarantee but it is looked at in a more positive manner than just not coming to work.
Vacancies in other departments – vacancies have been declared in the Insulation Tech Trainee and Electric Equipment Repairman Trainee, both located at the SFC. There have also been multiple Distribution Service Technician Trainee (DSTT) vacancies, declared this year. The DSTT vacancies are filled by hire, hire, post and These are currently in the external hire step and the postings are on the PPL website.
Local 1600 is fully aware of all the vacancies in the Companies we represent and it’s a constant inquiry to find out the status. I can tell you there is a shift, small as it may be, still a shift in filling vacancies. Let’s set aside the fact that we have contractors doing BU work and in my eyes not to the level of ability and commitment or our BU (referencing the CCC specifically, I do hear about the constant transfer of customers the inaccurate information provided, not being able to understand the rep on the phone, etc.). Granted we’re not perfect but in my eyes we’re pretty darn close. Let’s look at the cost. I know that it’s out there regarding what some of the contractors earn/hour compared to our BU and add in other costs defined in a contract, some may call it administrative costs. That’s got to be a lot of money going out the door that can be used to hire internally and continue to promote that committed workforce that PPL was once known for, oh yeah and cost less for the Company.
Steno/Clerk – systemwide
• An agreement has been signed to establish a BU trainer in the Steno/Clerk-General job classification. This is to help support the training of the ‘finer’ complex tasks that the stenos support daily to support their work group.
• A meeting was held with the Company regarding concerns brought to my attention regarding Steno/Clerk-Generals making decisions on payroll discrepancies regarding field personnel time reporting. This has caused many issues with the field personnel, in addition to the other issues they are dealing with daily. The discussion resulted in a communication being sent to all the stenos directing them to send an email to the employee’s supervisor stating the discrepancy and how to handle it. This removes the steno from the decision-making process which should not be happening and placing in management’s hands, where it should be.
Although, there is so much more, this is just a small capsule of what I’ve been working on. I will try to become more frequent with my newsletter articles. As always, be safe and enjoy the fall season.
