UWUA 127 Issued 60 day notice!

[Patriot]

UWUA 127 members of RMP (Rocky Mountain Power) were given 60 day notice Friday, of termination of contract. The local and management could not come to an agreement on loss of pension, health insurance, loss of bereavement leave, loss of as many as 8 days of vacation per year, loss of a holiday and loss of control and input of APM, Accident Prevention Manual.

[jerseyslave]

Patriot, was this during a contract negotiation? If so, it sounds like a union busting move. All the talk of layoffs, furloughs, and give backs, and, then you read about a labor shortage reaching crisis levels doesnt make sense.

The companies are waiting for staffing to be so low they can cry poverty and have someone else pay for new hires. Just like they are doing with infrastructure and green programs. I read that the companies are warning that they will need rate increases to fund all the stuff they ignored for the last 10 years.

I hope that osha is ready, there is no replacement for experience in this trade. No safety book or training program will make a lineman in 2 years, it takes time and someone to train them. Without that, you will have unqualified men working and will have deaths and accidents. And you can bet they will try to place the blame on the linemen.

[jerseyslave]

Can the state or the dept of labor step in?

[Orgnizdlbr]

Negotiations had pretty much stalled. THe company wants their retirement, freeze it anyway. And a host of other take-aways. Even though it had already been frozen for all new hires in 2007. The union wouldn't budge on the pension, and the company wouldn't negotiate until the pension was settled. So after a 30 minute negotiation, and a "best, last, and final" offer, what ever that was, the company hand delivered the letter of termination of contract in 60 days.

Sounds like an 8(a)5 charge to me......failure to negotiate and then implementation. If the local has its ducks in a row, it could become very interesting.

[johnnyhighliner]

We went up against this regimen in May of 09 and lost tons. The union leadership sold us down the river. Hopefully your leadership stands their ground
and tells this company to go fly a f****ing kite and pound it up their a$$es.

[topgroove]

THOUGHTSTO THE EDITOR:My name is Harold Giberson and I am president of Utility Workers Union of America, Local 127. UWUA Local 127 represents nearly 600 employees in Wyoming. When contract negotiations first started between PacifiCorp Energy/ Rocky Mountain Power and UWUA Local 127, I contacted newspapers throughout the state. There were two, The Rocket Miner in Rock Springs and The Green River Star, which have printed articles surrounding the contract negotiations. The Casper Star Tribune reluctantly printed an article a couple weeks later.After the articles ran, I was contacted by the president of PacifiCorp Energy, Rob Lasich, and asked to not negotiate this contract in the media. I did agree then to not take our case to you, the people of Wyoming. However, considering the statements of Dave Henneman in a letter printed in The Green River Star on Oct. 21, 2009, and considering that Mr. Henneman is acting managing director at the Dave Johnston Power Plant in Glenrock and under the direction of the president, Rob Lasich, I have no choice but to respond.First let me say that there is no doubt that this letter was authored by a third party and given to Mr. Henneman to send to the newspapers as his own. In this farce of a letter it talks about commitment to the employees and to the customers.I say “what commitment?” The commitment that if you are a business owner and find your usage for only one month of the preceding 12-month period to exceed a newly predetermined usage that your power bill may more than double and will not go down unless it remains below a predetermined level for another 12 consecutive months.I say “what commitment?” That this company who supposedly prides itself on safety and its safety record now has its employees so afraid of termination or discipline that they go home hurt rather than report an injury.I say “what commitment?” PacifiCorp Energy and Rocky Mountain Power talk about donating funds and food to the community. The company won’t donate to the United Way unless we, the employees, donate first. This is a company with profits of over $400 million and it still hesitates to take the initiative to contribute generously on its own.I say “what commitment?” The company wants to freeze its employees’ retirement and replace it with something they say is more “portable.” There is only one reason this company wants to freeze the retirement and that is to put more money into their pocket.I say “what commitment?” If anyone believes that Warren Buffet and his cronies are going to spend $865 million of their money and not expect a return is unrealistic at best. Every single dollar spent will be repaid by you, the consumer, the rate payer, and the employees, in higher rates and lost benefits.Rocky Mountain Power/ PacifiCorp Energy have been owned by Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) for just over two years now. Guess what, a rate increase has been asked for each of the last two years. The reason is they have spent so much money that their profit margin has not been what they think it should be and they want you, the rate payer, to make up the difference.I say “what commitment?” The commitment to bargain in good faith, UWUA Local 127 has countered every proposal brought forth by the company except for one, pension. WE have indicated that we are “not interested.” To make things more difficult, the company so far has said they cannot move on anything until there is movement on the pension. Our response is the same, “We are not interested.”There is a double standard as when the company states “not interested” in a proposal, that proposal is considered off the table. The company believes it can say to us that they are not interested then that proposal is never again to be brought up; but if we the employees say we are not interested in a proposal that we can be threatened and harassed about it until we do move on that proposal. Or how about letters sent to every member of Local 127 by the presidents of both Rocky Mountain Power and PacifiCorp Energy, Rich Walje and Rob Lasich, telling the members that everyone else has taken their poor excuse of a retirement plan so we here in Wyoming should do the same.I find it appalling that a company of this magnitude, that has made many of its successes from the dedication and hard work of its employees, regards its employees as unworthy to maintain previously agreed upon terms and conditions. It is unfortunate for a company to focus more on their profit margin than to treat its employees with dignity and supply those same employees with what was promised to them when hiring on; a safe working environment, good pay, a pension, and a promise to negotiate fair working agreements for all.My only hope is that employees such as Dave Henneman stop and take a good hard look at what this company is doing to its employees, and yes that includes you, Mr. Henneman. It has taken years of good faith bargaining for employees to make sustainable wage and benefits which in turn supports its communities, families, friends and neighbors. The members of this local committed to the state of Wyoming because it is their home, the very same home that their family’s family will live and hopefully prosper as well.I ask that every citizen of Wyoming and every consumer of power look at this company through a critical perspective. This is not the same company it was before Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffet took cover. It is greedy, manipulative and calculating down to the last dollar. Hold onto your checkbooks Wyoming as this company aims to reduce everyone down to its knees to enhance their bottom line.Harold Giberson, President, UWUA Local 127This is part of the November 19, 2009 online edition of The Glenrock Independent.

[johnnyhighliner]

I commend both the LEADERSHIP AND LOCAL MEMBERSHIP of Local 127 of The Utility Workers of America Union for truly standing their ground during their contract negotiations with M.E.H.C. Mid American Energy Holdings Company. Pacificorp and Rocky Mtn. Power Fall Under The Both Mentioned Above company.

M.E.H.C. falls under the umbrella of the Berkshire Hathaway Holdings Company hence is owned by MULTI BILLIONAIRE INVEST WARREN BUFFET.

Your 98% Reject vote has really spoken volumes to me. I have lost so much hope in my I.B.E.W LOCAL 499 which went up against this company back in May of 2009 and the membership voted in their LAST BEST AND FINAL OFFER. Do you know that to this day I still do not know what the vote total was on our Contract. Our Business Agent said he didn't want the company to know what the total was. What a SHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warren Buffet in November went out and Purchased for 32 Billion dollars the Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Railroad. This company is not hurting for money.

I am so encouraged by your solidarity, please do not give in, As your Leadership Said in The Paper :

["Iowa[/COLOR] and Berkshire Hathaway needs to realize they're not (negotiating) with Oregon people or [U]Iowa people[/U], they're dealing with Wyoming people who are a special breed," Giberson said. "We stick together and we take care of one another, and we think the company better start realizing that."


I must say I am in Iowa and have to agree with him, rather than the IBEW local 499 being the first to make a statement against this company, our UNION LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP caved in and nothing else needs to be said. Now he thinks he can do it to all his Electric Utility Companies.

Hopefully all the Wyomig Brothers And Sisters Stand Their Ground And Show All The Rest Of Us That It Can Be Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I will be waiting for further Posts

[Patriot]

THanks for the support Johnny!

[Patriot]

Round two went down!

74% no vote

97% turnout

[electriklady]

As a member of Local 459 I would like to say



Go get the S.O.B.s