In accordance with Article IX of the IBEW Constitution, effective January 1, 2016, union dues for all members will increase as follows and should be reflected in the first pay period in January. BA Members will be $20.95 and A Members will be $24.64.
NRG has been taking up most of our time. They are closing the two coal burning plants Huntley and Dunkirk in the Western Division. Along with those closings, we are facing the closing of the Fitzpatrick Nuclear plant in Oswego next year.
We have started effects bargaining with NRG and will be meeting with them December 16, 17 and 18. It is an uphill battle. We are working along with our attorneys to get contract interpretations settled. The staff and especially Phil Wilcox are working on seeing whatever we can do with these plants legally or legislatively to keep them open. The NRG contract expires in March 2016. We have also started the approval process for the TAA (Trade Act Program) which the company was unwilling to do. We are trying to look at every angle. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
We commissioned a Bradley Study that if we close the Fitzpatrick plant in Oswego, Ginna plant in Rochester and NRG coal plants what will be the effect. We had help from Exelon and the Utility Trades. The economic impact would be the loss of 25,000 jobs and $3 billion dollars and we will be putting back 16 million tons of carbon emissions back into NYS and/or other states. We are trying to prove we need these plants. Coal is a harder sell. We are trying to educate them on clean coal technology and the fall back looking at renewables and can we convert the plants. Question remains where do we get power from.
NGRID:
The temporaries in GAS and CMS have been extended to the end of the year. We are working with Labor to see if we can do something with them.
We had a Gas meeting for the East and Central and met with the VP Carrie Sweat to try to get more jobs. Biggest thing is scheduled work and rest time. We need to maintain in-house work.
Altec safety issues with boom trucks. Over the weekend they tested how they are coiled to make sure they are working properly. A member in the East was injured when they went to lower the boom that was up in the air and it dropped six feet striking the member. Luckily the member was off to the side and avoided a fatality.
There will be a new personal cell phone request coming out from the company. There are many issues such as using cell phones while driving or taking pictures and posting on social media. When you are on the job, concentrate on the job. It is just a request for you to put it in the truck until break or lunch. If there is an emergency, let your Chief or Foreman know what is going on. It will help us to work safely and go home at the end of the day. Also in the rollout the supervisor is not to call your personal phone.
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.