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IBEW 2320 |
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Previous Reports |
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This page contains previous reports that appear on the front page. |
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Tuesday August 4, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney First and foremost, let us not forget our 24 members @770 Elm Street who, at this time of contract uncertainty, are in a day to day process. The support and heartfelt feelings towards the unknown of their contract can and should be supported by YOU, the rank and file of NH IBEW. Over the past few days, major breakthroughs have come into play because of you, the union membership, who have shown we are union members with solidarity! Our bargaining team is working to provide a fair contract. Stay tuned for updates. Units 1-4 & 5 are scheduled for a meeting on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at the Elks Lodge, Bypass 28, Hooksett @ 5:30pm. Remember who we are… Union quality doesn’t cost– it pays! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday August 1, 2008 Business Manager Glenn Brackett As the clock begins to wind down on the existing Verizon contract, it is appropriate that the non-Verizon members in the three Northern States be aware of the issues that may impact all of us in the event that our Union Brothers and Sisters decide to exercise their legal right to strike in order to obtain a fair and satisfactory collective bargaining agreement. We here in the Northern States have seen and experienced first hand, the greed and arrogance of Verizon and we stand firmly, shoulder to shoulder, with our union brethren from south of the border as they battle this contemptuous corporation. We will support this battle in thought, word and deed until a contract is reached. For those of us who no longer are employed by Verizon and its rat-bastard CEO Ivan Seidenberg, there are a couple of issues that we must be aware of. First, in the event that a picket line is established at your work location, you need to notify your supervisor of this fact and report to the nearest company location without a picket line present. We emphasis that you must notify your supervisor. Whether or not the picket line is legally established is not a concern of ours. It is the company’s responsibility to remove an illegal picket line. We do not make value judgments as to the legality of a picket line. We don’t cross any…. EVER! If your job requires you to interface with a Verizon employee south of our borders, you need to inquire with whom you are dealing with. If you are dealing with a Verizon manager, common sense and expectations are that you would refer your work to your supervisor and let FairPoint management deal with Verizon management. Let us be crystal clear on one thing. Our actions here in the Northern States are to support our union brothers and sisters who work for Verizon. It is not our intent, at this time, to do anything that may affect FairPoint’s ability to prepare itself for the November cutover conversion. At this time, our actions are simply a show of solidarity for our Verizon Brothers & Sisters. Let’s hope that this is as far as our actions need to go. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday July 29, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney Contract negotiations continue in Washington, DC & New York for our 24 Verizon members in NH. Support your fellow members in this time of uncertainty. Be there for them as they were for us. The local respectfully recognizes the hard work & dedication of all our members at this time of need with all the destruction of the recent storms. Working safely as well as through the night on several occasions proved we, as professionals in our craft, can get the job done. We got the call, we responded, we got the work done! Why? Because we’re UNION MEMBERS!! Hold your heads high– you deserve it!! Remember- Union quality doesn’t cost… it pays! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday July 25, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney The Unit Meeting scheduled for Tuesday August 5, 2008 has been changed to the Elks Lodge, Bypass 28, Hooksett, NH @ 5:30 pm. As you may know, on Friday July 18th a severe tragedy occurred within Local 2320. Sister Amy McDonough of 770 Elm St. in Manchester lost her ex-husband in a motorcycle accident and is now a single mother of three young children. Brother Roland Jacques of the line crew in Manchester was seriously injured and faces a very long road in front of him. A special account has been set up to help these two individuals. Any donation you can give would be greatly appreciated. Send checks to: TD Banknorth Bellweather CU (any location) c/o The Roland & Amy Fund Amy McDonough in Trust of 143 North Main St. Kyle, Amanda & Elizabeth Concord, NH 03301 Put account # 9243012658 on your check Questions on this fund? Call Mark McAlpine 603-568-8588 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Monday July 21, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney Brother Roland Jacques, a Manchester Lineman & Steward for Local 2320 was involved in a motorcycle accident on Friday, July 18. His condition has improved over the last couple of days with many more to a full recovery. He is located at the Elliot Hospital in Manchester on the 7th Floor. Cards, letters or a visit would be deeply appreciated. An overwhelming response toward our Strike Authorization Vote @ 770 Elm Street, Manchester! Thank you all for your participation! Labor to Labor walks are scheduled for July 21 & 22, 4-8 pm, IBEW 104 Hall, 310 Rte. 4, Barrington. Also on July 23 & 24, 4-8 pm, IBEW 490 Hall, 48 Airport Road, Concord. Please call 669-8657 to sign up! In addition, there will be a Phone Bank on July 31, 6-8 pm, at our union hall– Call Kelly to sign up!! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday July 15, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney The bid process in in full swing. Please double check any and all information prior to faxing bid forms. The fax # is 1-207-221-1597. All forms must be received by Thursday, July 17, 2008. Please keep trying as this number has been very busy! Don’t forget to print a copy of your fax confirmation… If you are experiencing any problems, please call the hall. The Union Hall has discounted tickets to Six Flags as well as Water Country, please call 603-669-8657 for more information. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday July 11, 2008 11 am Business Agent Russ Delaney The revised job postings have been issued as of today, July 11. All applicants must fax their info to 1-207-221-1597. All material must be received by July 17, 2008 in order to be accepted. One (1) job on page 4: Administrative Assistant, 900 Elm Street has been removed. Please make copies of all information sent and don’t forget your fax confirmation! This is our union membership… Think and act accordingly! Thanks for visiting the website! ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thursday, July 10 2PM Business Agent Russ Delaney Due to multiple errors on the recent bid process a reissue is in the works. Notification will be placed on this website when the situation has been resolved. Please, at this time, STOP ALL BIDDING ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday July 2nd Business Agent Russ Delaney The EI Recall is currently in process and the notification to the 14 senior recalled EI Techs should be made early next week. The EI Techs who were force rearranged from Mass & RI will be placed, by seniority, at the end of the Northern States recall list. In the event that the 14 EI vacancies are not filled through the recall process, the positions will be filled through the bid process. Once the EI recall process is finalized, the remaining bids will be posted. The IRS has increased the standard mileage rate for reimbursement to 58.5 cents per mile. This change is effective today, July 1, 2008. Benefits coordinator Dave O’Connor can be reached at 603-669-5924. With the summer weather ever so changing, any and all outside techs should view their jobs in a safe and defined manner. Storm damage can be hidden. Take the necessary precautions to provide a SAFE quality job. Unit Meeting Notice: As has been past practice, permission has been granted by the International to suspend unit meetings for the months of July and August. The regularly scheduled unit meetings will resume in September. The Executive Board will meet during this time as scheduled. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday June 20, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney With the tentative list of bid postings due the week of June 22, a canvass for job vacancies at 875 Holt Ave should be in effect this week for various time changes. If you have not been canvassed, please see your supervisor if you have interest. With summertime upon us there are many discount tickets available to Water Country and Six Flags… Call the hall for more info! Safety is no accident. Safety is your responsibility. Take all precautions for a safe work environment. Union Quality Doesn’t Cost—It Pays!! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday June 13, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney After long awaited discussion, the Company has provided the Union with the numbers pertaining to the bid process. Bids shall be posted sometime in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for this long awaited situation. A Labor to Labor walk is scheduled for June 21st at the AFL-CIO office 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett from 9am to 1pm. Call this office for more information! Check out the calendar link for a list of remaining unit meetings for June. Dave O’Connor, Union Benefits Coordinator can be reached at 603-494-8423 Your strength as a Union Member does not go unnoticed… Stay Strong! Union quality doesn’t cost…. IT PAYS!___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday June 3, 2008 Business Manager Glenn Brackett The Company seems to be engaged in an on-going attempt to bypass the Union and continually rebuffs our attempts to partner with Fairpoint in an effort to make this a successful corporation for years to come. They repeatedly ignore or muffle our justifiable concerns on the day to day operations of this business that we know so well. Our first concern reflects the fact that the Company has hired, or is in the process of hiring over 650 new management employees but they have hired ZERO new employees to be part of the bargained for work force.. Even worse, the Company is attempting to re-assign work functions that has traditionally been done by our members, into the management job description. This is opening salvo of Union busting. Our second area of concern reflects the lack of commitment and respect being shown from Fairpoint’s Human Resource and Labor Relations Departments. We sit down, in good faith, and negotiate agreements, reach settlements and compromises. No sooner than we reach agreement than the Company resumes the behaviour that brought us to the table in the first place. The lack of leadership, on the Company’s part, and the inability and unwillingness to follow through on negotiated agreements is appalling and needs to be addressed and rectified by the Company immediately. We have several more areas of concern which we will continue bring forward over the coming days, but our third area of concern requires the education and understanding of our membership. Fairpoint has initiated a new program called “Change Champions.” Under this program management, without any input from the Union, has identified and nominated rank and file Union members to “assume leadership roles” within their workgroups and to report back to a Management staffed advisory board. The System council T-9 has objected strenuously to this program, as it is currently conceived. We believe that this program is just another step to undermine the legal rights and responsibilities of the Union and is just one more step down the slippery slope of Union busting. It looks like the honeymoon is over. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday May 27th Business Agent Russ Delaney Business Manager Glenn Brackett will be attending a scheduled early bargaining session for our Verizon Members this week in New York. Any information received will be placed on this website. Please click on the Calendar of Events in the navigation bar to your left for upcoming Unit Meetings for June. Out of Somersworth: Karen Hanson, passed away this past Friday, May 23rd she is the beloved mother of union brothers Chip from Dover & Scott from Gonic. Our prayers are with you. Union quality doesn’t cost…. It Pays!! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thursday May 22, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney On a sad note, Sister Lorraine Bleau’s sister passed away on May 21st. A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday at 11am at St. Joseph’s Church, 100 Washington St., Woburn MA We recently incurred property damage at our union hall as a result of an uninsured driver having an accident. We have discovered that our insurance policy doesn’t cover the damages. We will be looking to obtain payment from the driver through legal recourse if necessary. Based on preliminary information his ability to make payment is minimal at best. In the interim, repairs need to be made. In the interest of cutting expenses we are looking to the membership to see if there are any members with chain-link fence experience. If so, please come by the hall and give us an estimate what it will take to repair the damage. There has been no information regarding #’s and or bids as of May 22nd the company has not supplied the information. If information becomes available, we will post it here. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Monday May 19th 10 am Business Manager Glenn Brackett: The Union and the Company will meet on Thursday to discuss items of mutual concern. We hope that the company will be able to share with us their staffing requirements and when they expect to post bids. Updates will be placed on this site. We are collecting FairPoint Proxies. Please sign and date your proxies and give them to your steward or forward them to the Union Hall. Click on the Calendar of Events to view the unit meeting for this month. Congratulations go out to this years Next Step Graduates. The Local 2320 Members who successfully completed the program are: Glen Christino Steven Cunningham Gregory Davidson Sharon Dawkins Mark Johnson Marc Jutras Hans Larsson Douglas Lehman David McFadden Joshua Miller Barry Seymour Robert Tucci Mark Wilson The 13th Annual Collette Lemay Memorial Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday September 28th at Beaver Meadow Country Club in Concord. The registration fee is $90 per person which includes golf, cart & dinner. For more information, contact this office at 669-8657. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday May 13, 2008 Business Agent Russ Delaney Once again, FairPoint has given the Union no resolve on the staffing issues. Within the last several weeks on trying to obtain the numbers, we continuously hit road blocks that they are not going to fulfill. Enough is enough! In good faith, we as a union are doing our best to make this work. How about something back?! Discount tickets are available to Water Country at a cost of $27 each. Please notify the Union Hall if you are interested. Labor to Labor Walks will take place on May 17th, 9am-1pm at the AFL-CIO office. 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett. Coffee and pastries will be served and a brief training will take place prior to hitting the streets. Congratulations goes out to our recent Next Step Graduates… Job well done! Remember you are a union member… Union quality doesn’t cost…. It pays! Thank you. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday May 2nd 11:45 am Business Manager Glenn Brackett The Union and the Company will meet on Monday May 12th to discuss FairPoint’s staffing needs. We expect and will demand that the contractual obligations that were collectively bargained for will be adhered to. These obligations include the recall of EI Techs (if applicable) and the filling of vacancies thru the bid process. The Union and the Company met on Wednesday to discuss areas of mutual concern in regard to ratings. Some items discussed included: The re-vamping of EI & CO exams to remove antiquated technology such as IA & Crossbar switches The perceived necessity (by the Company) of the continued memorization of the 31 General Rules The Unions position that all exams need to have more of a “hands-on” approach versus the traditional oral format One item that does need to be addressed is the lack of study material for the EI exams. I am asking that any EI or COT that has any applicable study guide material to please forward this to me at the Union Hall. We would like to begin the process of compiling study guide information for an EI exam. If any tech in any job title has any questions in regard to any other exam items discussed, please contact myself or BA Russ Delaney here at the Union Hall. The 13th Annual Collette Lemay Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday September 28th at 8:30 am at Beaver Meadow Country Club in Concord. The registration fee is $90 per golfer which includes greens fees, cart & dinner. The deadline for entry is September 12th. For more info, contact Lorraine Bleau here at the Union Hall. On Friday May 9th there will be a retirement party held for Brothers Bill Petroski, Rick Wursburg and Emile Cretien. This event will take place immediately after work at the Bar-B Bar at Bramber Valley Golf Course in Greenland. For more information, please contact IBEW Benefit Coordinator Dave O’Connor at 669-5924. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ At 4:26am the Ibew System Council T-9 and Fairpoint Communications reached an agreement on a five year Contract extension, with several significant upgrades. The extension begins on April 1st, 2008 is scheduled to expire on Aug.3, 2013. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Friday March 21st 3:00PM Vice-President Dave O’Connor reporting: Our bargaining team has been in talks with FairPoint all day working towards a contract extension. These talks are continuing and we will update the tape with any breaking news. Another date has been scheduled for the members who are required to take the asset test for the NextStep program. The asset test will be given again in Nashua on Tuesday March 25th at 8:00 AM. Any member who is interested in entering the class of 2009 can contact Jack Marshall at 508-460-4689 as there are still openings available. The halls position on brothers and sisters taking set-ups hasn’t changed. We are reminding all our members to do the right thing when asked to take a set-up. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Tuesday March 18th 3:00PM Vice-President Dave O’Connor reporting: Talks continue this week with Fairpoint as our bargaining team works to secure a contract extension. The names of the new companies are: Northern New England Telephone Operations (ME+NH) Telephone Operating Company of VT The halls position on brothers and sisters taking set-ups hasn’t changed. We are reminding all our members to do the right thing when asked to take a set-up. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
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