What is up down in Utah area with Local 57.

[Im2cocky]

Whats up down there. I have heard things are moving slow and negotiators are taking a break. What have the issues been. I hope getting better medical coverage for all. Have they tried to rip off all of the young employees by taking their retirement medical and replaceing it with a flat 3700 for up to 10 years to be held in an account for you. I got news for all of you younger guys 37k won't get you or any of you family through 1 major medical with such a program. They are trying to bow out of taking care of you in you retirement years. All of this with record profits and CEOs with undisclosed stock options you cant find out about. Sure 267k with a 60 percent possible bonus. But Executive Severnce Options (undisclosed) Executive retirement Options (Undisclosed) and A yearly Executive payout option. The Buckmans and the Johansens cleaned up quite nice for their short stints with Pacific. They are going to be looking to Roll back Wages fellas. Keep us all informed. 57, 125, 659 all of us. What they do to you they want for us too..
Hang on to your wallets and asses. 100 years of conditions soon to be flushed down the toilet. Unless people stand and take notice....

[Patriot]

It is all about the "Bottom Line". Our turn is coming. I am glad we got a two year extension.

[659Lineman]

I'm still a little pissed that the company offered 4%/2% and the Unions took 3%/3%.

[Im2cocky]

Anything out there about 57 or 659 contracts? :confused:

[Patriot]

I heard 57 voted down the last offer by 70%, I also heard it was 2% per year for 3 years,.

[Patriot]

One issue was that the company wanted to place all new hires on 5 years probation instead of 6 months. 57 said no, Only reasoning I could gather would be to fire them right before they become vested. MidAmerican has a 5 year vesting.

[sammylu57]

57 voted the contract down by close to 90% with about 75% of it's members voting. The company had offered 2.5% for three years, and there was nothing in there about anyone being on probation for five years. The negotiators are meeting with the company again still trying to get us a fair contract.


Your brothers at 57 appreciate the concern.

UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL !!!!!

[Patriot]

I had heard that 5 year probation ,Monday from one of the hands in Salt Lake City out of the Metro shop.

[just say no]

this is bull sh!t....it's time for the internationl,regional or whoever of whatever unions to get together and organize a nation wide strike,walkout or whatever you call it....non-union contractors,lineman everyone...union and non-union need to put there differences aside and band together cause we the linemen are getting screwed by these company's consistantley..everywhere you read lineman in this country are loosing benifits,wages and even there lives...and these utilities could care less...you may think this could never happen,but what are the alternatives...write,call the international and lets get something going....enough is enough.....

[Patriot]

It would be great if it could be pulled off. A near impossible task, but it would sure get the corporate wheels turning.

Just to much division in our ranks. I actually thought things would get better with the shortage of lineman in the country but we are still just pawns.

[just say no]

patriot,great response and youre probably right..however corporate america knows this is the attitide of most..like you said the problem is within our own ranks...i've been a unioun lineman for over 20 years and believe in it...but my patience is wearing thin with our union leadership here @ f.p.l.they just snowed the membership into giveing up our most sacred benifit....sick time...for some bullsh1t called short term disability...won't go into details..my point being,i informned our "leadership" that i, as well as dozens of others, would be handing in our withdrawl cards if in the next contract they give up even one more benefit..don't forget the union is also a buisness.....be safe bro...

[sammylu57]

Patriot, I don't know where the metro shop guy was getting his info, but it is wrong. There was nothing brought to the body about new hires or any one else being on five years probation. ****, around here they don't care if you've got two weeks, or twenty years, on probation or not, if they want to get rid of you, for whatever reason, they will. Then if there is a greivance filed they will just fight the union and cost both sides a lot of money reguardless of how trivial or severe the infraction may have been. What they did bring out was no retiree medical for newborns (employees not hired before ratification) but that entire package was voted down by nearly 90%. I think we may be in for some difficult times here in Salt Lake. I just hope that out Union and non-Union LINEMAN brothers will help provide us with the strength we are going to need to accomplish what is just and right in a worst case scenario.


LIVE LONG AND STRONG BROTHERS!

[Patriot]

Thanks Sammy for setting the record straight. Rumors are flying rampant right now. I honestly don't think old warren knows what his underlings are doing. He just sees the bottom line. Just another day at Rotten Mountain Power. I miss the Scotts! LOL!

Our thoughts and support is with you guys!

[stoner]

In '96 we voted to give the post '97 hires a flat rate of $8700 something a year for their medical after 20 years of service. At the time there were lay offs going on and people were being rolled out of their yards and driving 120 or more miles a day to their yards. This was at FPL, we were mislead by our union leadership, we were scared, and we passed it. I am ashamed of myself for what we did. Our new hires can't work 20 years because of their age and we'll never get this back for them. Do the right thing, you're in a much better position than we were then. I will never vote to take away from our future again, or theirs.

[659Lineman]

This new company is pushing safety, safety, safety, letter in your file, safety, fire someone, safety....................Then they cut out our tool budget, tools that make our jobs safer. Sure am glad they found the money to remove the stickers on the truck doors and replace them with phone company look a like stickers.

[Patriot]

No door signs in Wyoming yet! They showed up with the building signs and I asked the contractor where our truck signs were and his response was, "I never thought to bring them"! And they are putting letters in our file for not chocking trucks! This guy drove from utah, and never brought truck stickers, so we are Midamerican at the shop, but pacific power in the trucks! Man the customers are confused!

[659Lineman]

Our door stickers still say Pacific Power, but they have a new red emblem that looks like a cross between the Nabisco emblem and a Chinese flag. Must have got a good deal on them, just like the China hot line clamps.

[Patriot]

And the Brazilian glass!


Is 57 going on strike?

[659Lineman]

MidAmerica thinks they can offer WAY less to Utah than the rest of the company is getting. What ever happened to the company wanting to have one contract for everyone? Seems like a lot of spilled money. Utah better hold their ground till they get at least what we are getting.

[Patriot]

What blows me away is that no union to union contact has surfaced from Iowa. What gives? They are $8 to $10 under us. I hope to hell parity don't go that way! LOL!

[sammylu57]

We voted again last week. Company raised the pot a generous .5% lump sum bonus for journeyman (equal to $343 a year for a lineman), and changed the overtime rules of pay back to what we are working under now. The hands down here have had enough of this sh!t This entire buy out is turning into a nightmare not only with negotiations but with all the other B.S. too. Today they pulled our leather work gloves off our tool room shelves and now are only going to issue these jackassed cut-proof cotton s.o.b.'s. What about wood and wire slivers? These special gloves only protect against cuts! We've had them forever and we hate them. That's a minor change down here. This new management philosophy is only going to go so far with the lineman in 57, we are **** well trained journeymen and this micromanagement bullsh!t of telling me to chalk the uphill side of my truck or I'm getting a letter in my file ain't gonna fly. If Mid-American energy can't provide us with a good place to work then they'll soon realize what happens with a trade that is 20,000 hands short across the nation.

[Im2cocky]

You Folks Have Always Gotten Tools And Leather Goods This Will Be The First Test To See What They Can Take. We At 125 Have Been At Aw For This For Years. We Love To Come To Storm For You Guys Because We Don't Get Them. We Got Them Into Our Contract At 125 But They Gave Us **** Gloves After All Was Said And Done Not Kuntz But Some Off The Wall Crap That Threads Gave Up. They Did A Study...to Fricken See What The Problem Was.. You Better Hold On To Your Shorts Fella's. If Vote Goes Down They Will Offer You Less. You Are Going To Be The Test And Let This Get Out.....i Hope You All The Best Tell Your Leadership To Get Ahold Of All Of The Other Locals 659 And 125 To Get Their Crap All United. All Sokol Looks At Is Bottom Line How Much His Stock Price Is Going Up. I Hope You All Take Pride Into What You Have Because You Will Be A Test. They Have Managers Doing What They Want For Fear Of Their Jobs And Have The Money To Put Your Local Into A Spin...good Luck.. Write Back Soon......i Will Pass On....contractors Who Have Hired On Here Leaving Don't Like All The Bull****.........

[Patriot]

It is supposed to be only the short guantlet leather gloves. We and you are still supposed to get the long cuffs. I guess some one, some where cut his hand, and it required stitches, and he said he had his leather gloves on, short cuffs to be exact. It must have been one hell of a sharp knife. So the head safety guy pulled the short cuffs and said only long cuff and the kevlars are availible.

If our safety is so bad I wish they would send our safety people to Iowa and let them go on a fact finding mission to find out how to do it right.

[Patriot]

I heard through the grape vine 57 ratified it's contract??????