Local 66

[CenterPointEX]

any local sixty six hands hangin out here in da linemans forum besides you Ron...
I know ye watchin me... jealous ya ain't out trampin yer ownself...

[CenterPointEX]

May 13, 2005

On May 12, members of Local 385 in Orlando and Local 769 in Miami overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year agreement with Atlanta Gas and Light (AGL), ending a 39-day strike against the company.

“This is a great victory for these workers,” said Josh Zivalich, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 769. “By standing firm, they were able to prevail against the company’s hard-line tactics. The company backed down on the biggest issues, like outsourcing. We are really proud of our members.”

The 70 members took action when the company refused to negotiate unless concessions for outsourcing skilled union jobs and virtually eliminating seniority were accepted. They also had concerns about wage, pension and healthcare issues.

The new agreement deals favorably with the workers concerns, providing a no-outsourcing clause and maintaining seniority rights, including a “bumping clause,” allowing senior employees the right to first option on jobs in other departments. Pension, wage and healthcare were addressed as well.

“I said from the beginning that this wasn’t about money, it was about job security and respect for years of loyal service,” said Bill Joynt, a 33-year AGL worker and member of Local 385. “The company finally seems to understand. We were resolved to stay out until they did. Our two locals turned into quite a team.”
Take note of this CenterPoint Hands... As many of us discovered in 2003 ......
........The CenterPoint contract has for all practical purposes, no seniority clause... Ya, it has an assembelance of a Seniority clause in verbage... But it reads... "Where skills and abilities are equal", "Seniority will prevail." "Skills and abilities" are not defined by the contract and thus may; by whoever is doing the knob polishing, be defined as such...
..........If this is not remedied what happened in 03 can and will happen again... They cut mid range employees out of a pension N saved themselves millions... In case you guys don't get fixed, know the signs of the impending axe...
..........What they did was; and if'n ya think back you will see in hind sight 20\20, Overhire preparing to cut mid-career employees... Our trucks were overflowing with bodies. CentePoint was in the midst of a mass hiring wave at a time when the rest of the country was trimming down.... Just at the point where the new hires began to top out, down came the axe... Each level of apprentice up to Jy was treated as a differant job classification... They cut a percentage of each classification... The Jy's at that point were all twenty plus year employees... When I looked around at the folks who were sent packin with me, we for the most part were the low hole Seniority Jy's... The gaggle of recent hires released, was devised to disguise their intent.
...... The point system for rating folks "skills and abilities" was a ploy used for nepotism purposes... That the point system was based only, on the last year of service, is evidence of that... That this went down just as the new hires began to top out was no accident... A large percentage of the new hires were somebodys boy...The Supervisors knew what the target was and how to save their boys... You will never get one of em to admit that though... It would cost them thier career... As I think back on it, I remember walking in on the Supervisors a couple of times as they were in the planning stages... They all looked up in silence and fear... as if I'd walked in on some folks planning a Bank Robery or something... Little did I know...There were service centers that did not lose folks... thier Supervisors chose not to play the game... Those guys had the option not to play because they were politicly entrenched... Some who refused to play and did not have protection became targets for termination... My hats off to those fellas who chose not to play... but in hindsight their refusal to play cost some good men their jobs at other service centers...
..........A young man has time to build a career and a pension at another company... a mid career employee does not have such a luxury... His dreams are squashed and he will have to settle for a diminished return future... This process was a tough pill to swallow and a heavy burden to bear for every one, from the customers to board of directors and everyone inbetween...
"A secure future sold down the river for short term gain"... the mantra of the sixties generation, who have come of age in this century... A weight that very well may...crush the soul of America...

[CenterPointEX]

It's more like an immagration problem L.A.... I would gander to say illegal aliens outnumber lineman five to one in this yard... They are doing linework... Some of em are pretty good at it... That's scary... cause they didn't get good at it by just watchin... The question is how does one stop that sorta thing in a one horse town... If you put up a stink about it, a hard situation get harder... They got the Union backed in a corner...If ya wanna work in this town ya ain't got much of a choice... it's either roll with the flow or move to another city... I hear tell they are gonna get us a 3% mid contract raise to try N keep some hands here... REAd between the lines dudes... It ain't the money....
,,,,,,,,,Local 66 covers both the Utility LIneman and Contract Lineman in Houston... This is going on with a contractor. The only way I figure to get a handle on it is for the Local to bring some hands from outside Houston... Sorta like salting... Have those hands work just long enough to file charges on whomever might be using illegal labor to do Union work... Ya, it is a right to work state, but come on... this is rediculess...
__________________

[CenterPointEX]

CenterPoint is still hacking the mid career guys... one showed up in the yard yesterday... had 23 yrs with the company at the age of 46...heard Urbanski got cut loose... I think he hired on in 82 or 83... If'n you have twenty pls yrs wit da company are between 40 N 50 and you are not a Mason... You are a target... It's funny in a way... not... that they won't let siblings/family work in the same location... But the Masons whos ties are thicker than blood, and are born of a blood oath, thrive side by side...





thats very interesting, the co. I work for used to be a big mason click...if you warent a Mason you werent getting ahead....if you didnt wear the ring you were nobody.....those days are gone now!

[m_kohner]

yeah the masons bond is pretty tight ive heard the same, what is the masons any one heard much on this? same with the FLE's anything on those guys?

[CenterPointEX]

The Masons... ? Well when ya join ya swear allegance to the "Great Archatect of the Universe" They tell you some call him God, some call him Allah, some call him Budda... but from now on you will call him "The Great Archatect of the Universe." Then come a blood oath with forfeiture of you life as punishment for disloyality...

But this is not a subject for Union Issues... Ask that question on the Politics and B.S. forum N I will expungeagate...

[m_kohner]

how about the fleas-FLE? anything on those brothers?

[Orgnizdlbr1289]

They are still there ogb12... but they cain't be as overt as they once were... the Masons are alive N well... just covert these day... Several Lineman were approached at the service center I worked at prelayoff... I gave a sermon to those who were interested in hearing what the Masons were really about... That was the year the layoffs came down... I just wonder... not... did they get wind of my messing with their pledges?...

The Masons I worked with were very secretive about the organization. They never spoke to us non-masons about the goings on....I didnt want to hear it anyway! Didnt need a secret handshake or the "are you a traveling man" answer in my pocket to make it in the trade....

[Orgnizdlbr]

Local 66 just had a special contstruction meeting... It was attended by the largest turnout in quite some time... Somebody, I don't know quite whom, was trying to raise dollars per hour on our check, that the problem of a shortage of labor in Houston might be addressed... I suspect this solution was put forth by CenterPoint... They wanted to raise our dollars per hour by taking the dollars put into our retirement, and giving them to us on our check now... So that when tramps looked across the country, they would see a more attractive scale in Houston and come running... CenterPoint still has its gunsights on the I.B.E.W. The conditions and scale in Houston suck... Thus the Labor shortage... The boys at the hall saw thru the insantity of robbing Peter to feed Paul and within minutes the meeting was over. This was a mid contract ploy begotten not by the Union buy by ? If CenterPoint wants their system to rise back above sub par... dey gonna have ta sh@t or get off da pot...


Are you saying that it was proposed to put annuity $ into the hourly wage to raise the scale and then not contribute to the annuity? Is this a fixed pension plan? Who administers the plan? Something hear sounds very fishy...and outside of ERISA boundarys!!!

[Orgnizdlbr]

Yes, they wanted to take the dollars away from what they contribute to the annuity, and apply them to our hourly wage... thus nothing would be contributed to the I.B.E.W. annuity plan... They wanted to do this mid contract?

It doesnt sound on the up and up to me.....

[CenterPointEX]

For the Contracters here in Houston the proposal on the table is 5% this year, and five percent next year... and a $25 perdiem...
..............That would get us up near twenty five dollars per hour... couple that with a whopping $25 perdiem... WOW... that will get the travelers flocking down to save CenterPoints Arse...

[CenterPointEX]

The contractors now have meter trucks parking on the dock and shooting overflow trouble.

[CenterPointEX]

A couple of the contractors here in Houston are under Federal Investigation for using Illegal Labor... Imagine that? It is going to be hard to catch them though because they use third party contractors who supply labor. The Illegals checks come from the third party labor providors. Those companies are designed to go down in such an event. And the public is being charged for domestic labor... The difference is going into the pocket of the company... The loser is the public in mait quality and the IBEW bearing the weight of cheap slave labor driving down wages.

[CenterPointEX]

The contractors are gearing up to completly take over the Meter Wagon bussiness. Like St. Lights, CenterPoint hands will no longer be doing customer meters. Paul Hillick is giving em hell on daily average. I think Ron is about to choke him... Earl is just grinning ear to ear... sitting there on them sack of seeds....

[CenterPointEX]

More attacks on Local 66. Maybe someone can confirm or deny, But I heard rumor that future CenterPoint employees who run for positions at the local will no longer be assured they will have a job at CenterPoint when they are done at the Hall. In the past CenterPoint held positions for those who had served at the Hall. This will pretty much preclude any CenterPoint employees from running. That leaves you out Ron... I doubt you will leave in spite of your disdain for the Beloved Light Company. It's a shame... I would have campaigned for you on this side... I was wondering if indeed you were still subscribing to my blogisphere. Hillick is indeed famous. I heard KB was gonna get the boot over the weight thing... but drug up to save em the satisfaction... If you want to make some money KB give me a buzz... I got my ear to the ground all the time

[billfoster67]

My good friend from LA for 30 years, knows the FLE movement and he told me about the ring knockers is this the group he is talking about.

Whats going on with 66, I met more lineman from 66 all over the country. Isn't there work there or whats the deal. The rate. Is Red Simpson killing that state.

[CenterPointEX]

You know Ron... I have met folks who believe in Heaven, but don't believe in Hell... Did I deserve what happened to me Ron?... did I?... I know you never liked me much, though you respected me... I admire that quality in you. It is a unique blessing. Not all of us are able to separate the two. You respect folks for who and what they are no matter whether you agree with them or not. That is why I would campaign for if you wanted to run this fine Union... I know you got aspirations in that direction.

Ron... I was always there... did my job... worked hard... Ya.. I got a big mouth... But after twenty years of faithfully doing my job? Were there others who were less of an asset to the company.?.. You and I both know the answer to that question... If they really knew Rons heart... would he be with me? If truly you are a Union man Ron, then you have to say... It was wrong what they done to me and Eddie. This is exactly the kind of thing the Union is there to prevent... Folks being rung thru the ringer in the name of politics or nepotism. An honest days work for an honest days pay... etc. With seniority effectively eradicated Ron... all of you are subjugated to the whims of folks like Cogliano, Bilski... etc... If you are a minority, old, etc... That is where CenterPoint employees currently stand. The last meeting of management with the CenterPoint talking heads included the topic that CenterPoint still has an aged work force... Average age of 51... They got too many folks in the upper range and the only way to fix that is to continue to get rid of the old folks so they can hire younger ones... You have read my other stuff on the state of this industry so you know the score... Corporate Raiders rule the day... Milking assets etc. When the Cash Cow runs dry they will kick it to the curb and move on. Does any one deserve Hell Ron? Truth is each and every one of us do... Cause is Gods eyes... we have all fallen short... Just like you say I was with CenterPoint... But God sent his own Son to take the fall for us Ron... He got what we deserved... So we can keep our position... My ordeal was temporary Ron... It sucked... It hurt... but it is temporary... Should you die with out Jesus Ron... the regret will be eternal...

I love you... you know I do... Paul Hillick loves you... But most importantly Jesus loves you...

[CenterPointEX]

Well it's starting to happen... New Construction is slowing down and the boys are getting restless... The pay sucks eggs in Local 66 and now the Over Time is being cut off... I'm hearing a lot of chatter about folks hitting the road to make a living... It really sucks we cant make a decent wage at home... yet... But I see the writing on the wall... Can you see it Tom Standish?

Next time sit down and have a chat with me J.J. I'll buy yo a cup...I would like to hear the Truth about what happened and whats happening... I hear they are giving you the shuffle... Working a million miles from home now?

I hear the old timers are droppin in droves, like Matula, God, and Bubbie...

Yes Bill Foster... the Masons are the ring knockers... 80% of them think they serve a good cause ; like the shriners, benificial to their person... 20% know and hide the fact the orginization serves Satan...

[CenterPointEX]

I saw an article in the paper last monday... A Houston Bussiness Partnership has raised twenty million dollars to head off a federal bill that will require employers to either fire workers whose social security numbers don't match their name or face stiff penaltys for not doing so...?

Twenty Million dollars... to head off a bill that will end profiteering from abuse of the virtual slave labor pool of Mexicans...

I wonder how much money the South spent trying to head off profiteering from the abuse of the slave labor pool of blacks?

One could make the argument that the Mexicans are not slave labor... I say, BUNK!... at the very least they are wage slaves... They are not paid enough to live as americans... Yes some of them drive cars... but they do not have any insurance, etc... They have their own financial subculture, their own justace system etc... They exist as a black market subculture... Slaves in my view... The companies that profit from them are CROOKS!... They are taking food.out of the mouths of and also.. the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness out of the reach of honest hard working Americans... These folks should be locked up... Instead we are celebrating them as the pinnacle of America... Whats up with that?

[CenterPointEX]

Teddy Vogler... Give me a call... Preston has my number...

[CenterPointEX]

CenterPoint sent another one of my comrads packing... I repeat...if you are between 40 and 50 years old... Your Pension is a major problem for CenterPoint... they want you gone... and will leave no rock unturned to get you gone... I reckon you cain't blame them... If they did not do this... they would eventually end up like Detroit... more retired folks than working folks on the payroll...