Brothers and sisters, summer is upon us. Take every precaution to remain hydrated and never get too hot. Many times Crew Leaders are focused on completing the job at hand. You are the only one that knows when you absolutely need to cool off. If you need to take a minute to cool off, by all means let your Crew Foreman know and take the necessary time to cool off before continuing work. Once someone has suffered from a heat stroke or heat exhaustion it is difficult to bounce back from.
IBEW Local 69 President, Ross McAuley, and I attended the 2018 IBEW 7th District Progress Meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The meeting began on May 16th, with Oncor Representatives in attendance. The meeting is designed to promote the relationships between the IBEW and Management. Unfortunately, while we were at the “progress meeting”, we learned that the Company has not made a decision on two employees in Taylor, Texas, that have been on Crisis Suspension for weeks regarding safety violations. Oncor Electric Delivery is the only Utility I can find that places employees on “Crisis Suspension” for weeks or even months, for things ranging from safety violations to personal matters that occur at your home. This type of cruel and unusual punishment only occurs at Oncor. If you know of another Utility that inflicts this type of warped punishment on their employees please, let me know. I have not had the opportunity to address this issue with Sempra to ask if they condone this type of Management behavior. Also, Oncor is back to telling stewards they can’t speak or take part during an investigation involving bargaining unit employees. This is false and a clear violation of the law. The Union is preparing to file a charge at the NLRB regarding Oncor silencing stewards during investigations.
Our brothers and sisters at Fox 4 began contract negotiations on May 8th. We met with the Company and negotiated on the 8th and 9th. Proposals were exchanged and the usual posturing occurred. I believe it is too early for me to write about any progress since we really haven’t seen a lot of progress. The parties are scheduled to meet on May 23rd and 24th to continue negotiating. If you are a member at Fox 4 that has issues or proposals you want addressed contact one of the following Negotiating Committee members; John Gnann, Greg Duenn, Michael Kamm, or Bobby Reed.
Many of us will be taking summer vacations with our families. Have a great time while on vacation this summer. Please do not forget about safety. Safety should be at the forefront on the job and at play.
Until next time may God bless you, your family, and our local union.