By now everyone should have heard about the incident in the West in Distribution Line with Dave Gilbert being injured on the job. We have received an update from Dave saying he is doing well and he appreciates everyone’s thoughts, cards and prayers. He has a long road ahead of him so please keep him in your prayers.
Established Service Pilot in Syracuse has been extended to August 15th. We have received a draft MOA from the Company to review.
Meetings were held on switching errors with John Spink and Len Fiume. We gave them some ideas to hopefully reduce these errors. Remember to try to not be distracted on the job. Our next meeting is scheduled for September 29th.
We have received a draft back from the Company on the 60% sick pay issue. You will need to be back for a period of time not being sick in order get 100% sick pay back.
Had a US Leadership SPC phone call with John Bruckner. This included all locals under NGrid territory. Issue was brought up on cell phone use. Remember again to stay focused on the job. NYS has laws on cell phone usage. Do not be afraid to not accept supervisors’ calls while you are driving. If you have an issue, let the hall know.
Exelon negotiations for the Fitzpatrick plant has been delayed. Hopefully we will be having them sometime in September. They are putting a lot of money into the plant. We still have a few bumps in the road politically on subsidies for the plant.
Sleep Apnea charges have been filed on the medical clearance for CDL’s. We are asking if you carry a card to go to your own doctor that is authorized to do exams and get the exam. When you are called by the nurse to come down, you can give her your card. We are now having the issue where they are not accepting this as well. If that happens to you, please let the hall know. We have made that a part of our case. We are still giving affidavits and waiting for the Labor Board to respond.
We are struggling with Labor Relations. I was told we were getting a Director for Upstate and that they have gone to the outside and are interviewing candidates. It would be better to have someone with knowledge of our company to be in that position. We are waiting to hear who it will be.
Benefit meetings will be held in all divisions to give a more detailed explanation of upcoming changes to our medical benefits in 2018. Both the union and company will participating. They will be held at 6:00 p.m. in Buffalo on September 26th at the Millennium Hotel on Walden Avenue; Syracuse is September 27th at the Holiday Inn on Electronics Parkway, Syracuse; and Albany will be on September 28th at the Union Hall.