Vacation periods are currently at their peak. With that, I hope everyone has or will have the chance to kick back, enjoy the weather and relax with family and friends of choice. YOU EARNED IT!

Vacation periods are currently at their peak. With that, I hope everyone has or will have the chance to kick back, enjoy the weather and relax with family and friends of choice. YOU EARNED IT!

As we speak contract negotiations have formally started between National Grid and Local 369 for our members working in Northboro at the Customer Service Center. Our first meeting with the Company took place in the last week of February at Westboro.

This meeting started in the usual format of establishing and agreeing to the set ground rules, meeting schedules and the various locations for these meeting to be held. Next agenda item was to exchange initial contract proposals. For the Company it was quite straight forward, add the “F”- word to every existing article. We all know and/or have experienced exactly how diluting and abusive “flexibility” can be.

Here we are entering what most people feel is the best part of the year, especially in New England. With the business we are in, anticipated thoughts of system reliability run “hand in hand” with the summer months approaching. At NSTAR we all witnessed, experienced and worked through some disastrous summers in 2000 and 2001. Recent years, through combined efforts including a highly skilled workforce a concentrated concern focused on maintenance, upgrades, and repairs has changed our most recent years’ performance. We know that story, we know the cause, hopefully we have learned from it, and we can move on.

At recent membership meetings I had talked in some detail relative to the initiative involving this Local, NSTAR and Franklin Institute. We have met several times as a group focused on the development of a curriculum offered thru Franklin Institute that would include an internship
similar to those developed through the Power System Tech program currently operating thru Bunker Hill Community College in conjunction with NSTAR. Our goal is develop and train a workforce capable of replacing foreseeable and current vacancies as needed. Industry wide all utilities are facing the same dilemma. For a number of years there was little or no hiring. With the years of training needed to develop a competent workforce and the uniqueness to our
functions restricting job related experience elsewhere we find ourselves “behind the eight-ball”. These efforts if successful will provide more than a band-aid. It will continue year after year with candidate graduating and applying for employment on one end and enrollment on the other.

Bill Carr discusses a training program with the Franklin Institute as well as a visit to the Army Fisher House in Washington, D.C.

A Holiday Message Message of gratitude to Local 369 Executive Board Members, Chief Stewards, Steward and the Membership

A report on new member orientations.