NGRID

Because of the differences in supplying electricity to an island environment our members on Nantucket have some unusual peccadilloes in their contract language. The Nantucket contract book has gone through two drafts so far. We are proofing and clarifying the second draft and anticipate completion soon and a signing in April or May. I want to thank Ronnie Conway, the chief steward, and Donald Ryder, steward, for all their help with the Nantucket contract book proofing and editing.

In Malden, Local 369 has had to have six or seven meetings with management to try to make some progress on an overhead troubleshooter’s agreement. Malden has had a change of division manager through this process. The rule here has been constant vigilance. Thanks to our national representative, Bob Mahoney. Since getting involved he has got us through a few significant roadblocks. With another meeting coming up we should be able to get an agreement finalized. That depends on the company.

On November first there was an arbitration heard regarding the 8 hour work day in the Southern district on behalf of the Underground, Overhead and O&M workers. In this case the Local cited the Contractor Agreement and an agreement for the underground citing and addressing a part of the Contractor Agreement. This in itself should have been enough validation of the Contractor Agreement by the company for any arbitrator to acknowledge that Contractor Agreement came forward in its entirety, including the part that says “the southern division overhead, underground and O&M will work 7:30am to 3:30pm”. Four witnesses testified that the intent of the Local in 2005 was that the Contractor Agreement comes forward in its entirety. All involved left that room thinking this went very well.

This is the problem with going to arbitration. We can go into arbitration with a rock solid case and come out a loser. I’m told you can come out as well with a total surprise decision on the win side of the column. I’ve yet to see that. This is exactly why we will try to address contract issues at the department level anytime we can. The 8 hour day was certainly not a divisional contract issue and was a terrible decision from an arbiter who will not be used by the Local again. The Local requested an executive session with the arbiter and filed a dissent on the decision, neither of which affected the award but did let the arbiter know how we felt about his lapse of judgment in this case.

The Local had a steward training seminar in the early spring last year. We had that seminar to give the membership the tools to best address contract issues at the steward level in the division. When we follow the grievance procedure to try to resolve contractual issues at each step there is not only an opportunity for resolution but there is another step at which there is information available for us to build on a case in the event it goes to an arbitration hearing.

Wishing you all the best spring has to offer.