The Cope Committee will be running a COPE Drive over the next few months. The Committee members will be visiting numerous service locations throughout Massachusetts. The COPE fund is vital to the future of all of the Utility Workers because the funds are used to develop important legislation to protect our lives and our jobs. The legislation honoring Kevin Fidalgo is the perfect example of our ongoing fight for the safety of our members. The legislation will mandate the inspection of all customer transformer vaults throughout Massachusetts. The fund is used to protect our livelihood. We are currently fighting legislation that could impact the working lives of all Local 369 members and the COPE Committee is working diligently to stop this legislation. The Fund is also used to help elect political candidates who will serve and protect in the best interests of Local 369 members and their families.

The COPE Committee has been working on numerous legislative issues. We are faced with pending legislation that could adversely affect our members. The Committee has been working very hard with State Senators, and Representatives to protect our work and keep our work.

On March 27, 2004 we entered into a Memorandum of Agreement on the use of outside contractors. At the time, I was a Chief Steward in the Underground and I was part of the Contractor Committee. I was also part of the Underground SWAT Team along with Bill Bulger.

As you may remember, we had plenty of concerns about this Agreement. Because of those concerns, Bill Bulger, myself and Jack Teal from the Overhead were granted a special meeting. The meeting was also attended by Dave Dorant, Tim Manning, Phil Trombly and Ed Sessler.

Tim and Dave assured us that the Operations people would live by this Agreement. I asked Tim if he could make Werner live up to his end of this Agreement. Tim’s answer was yes. Two
days later Tim brought Werner and Phil Andreas to meet with the same group. Werner reiterated what Tim had said, that his people would live by this Agreement and if they didn’t, he would sit down with us and correct it. Bill, Jack and I left that meeting feeling better but still skeptical of the Agreement. We put our reputations on the line with our members and agreed to support this Agreement.

Executive Vice President Dan leary Congratulates Local 369 Members on the appointment of the Local on Governor Patrick's Workforce Development Committee as part of the Tranistion Team

A report from the field on an agreement reached between union and management about outside contractors.