Brothers and Sisters,
IBEW Local 69 will be canceling the Unit Meetings scheduled for October. The only Unit Meeting we will have in October is the Dallas meeting scheduled for October 24th. The IBEW Constitution requires each local union to have at least one meeting per month. The reason for the meetings being cancelled is we will be conducting a contract ratification vote during the month of October.
The Company has offered a one year contract extension with a three percent (3%) wage increase for eligible classifications that we will be voting on.
The first vote is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 27th, at the Farmers Branch Service Center. The EDOC Troublemen will vote from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The Farmers Branch, Lake Dallas, Dallas Northeast, and Dallas North Service Centers will vote from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
The Union is working on completing a schedule that will allow all members to vote on the Company offer. When the schedule is complete the union office will email the schedule to everyone we have an email address for and it will also be on our web-site. Please make arrangements to attend a meeting and cast your ballot. All bargaining unit employees should be allowed an opportunity to attend a meeting. If you are not allowed to attend a meeting please contact me as soon as possible.
The following paragraph was written to you in the Union Craftsman dated September 2016 after President, Ross McAuley and I went to the IBEW Convention:
Ross and I were able to make contact with Florida Power & Light employees and their Business Manager. We were able to talk shop and discuss the work place possibilities once NextEra buys Oncor. The employees at FP&L stated the relationship between Management and the Union has never been better. Monday, September 19th the bankruptcy court in Delaware gave its blessing for EFH and NextEra to go forward with the sale. The next step will be the approval of the sale at the Texas Public Utility Commission. IBEW Local 69 will be involved in that process at the TPUC. I would like to relay the information regarding how the crews are set up at FP&L and other working conditions however; we can discuss this at our unit meetings scheduled for October.
I shared what was written in the September 2016 Craftsman to show how fluid and complex the sale of Oncor Electric Delivery has been and continues to be. People have contacted our local regarding the sale of Oncor to Sempra. IBEW Local Union 69 is very hesitant at this point to make any comments or commitments to anyone regarding the sale of Oncor. EFH and the regulators have shown that it does not matter if Oncor gets sold to a buyer that has the best interest of the customers and employees. It seems it’s all about getting the most money for the investors. Stay buckled up the ride is not over.
The Union and Company has a grievance meeting scheduled for October 6th. Grievances to be heard include office personnel performing bargaining unit work and DOT’s performing bargaining unit overtime. If you have not spoken to a Crew Supervisor or DOT at your service center regarding joining the union, please take an opportunity to do so. Inform them to go to our web site at www.ibewlocal69.com and fill out the Representation Form. The form is completely anonymous and does not make them a union member. We need a majority of each classification to sign the forms in order to have a vote for each classification to become IBEW Members. Strength is in numbers.
Until next time may God bless you, your family, and our local union.