Our Solidarity picnics are being held around the divisions: Albany is September 16th, Buffalo is September 23rd and Syracuse is September 30th.
NGRID:
Issues with 97c with the new contract and mapping over employees have been resolved.
Still have on-going issues with Established Services and hoping to come to an agreement soon.
Safety Leadership Day scheduled for September 19th has been postponed to October 18th. Remember people will be out in the field doing audits. Our Safety Advocates will also be there. Please be careful and show them your best.
On September 19th I will be attending Rate Case Settlement talks in Albany. My major concern is staffing in lieu of contractors and our staffing levels.
We sent 30 crews, 10 per division, to Florida along with Fleet. Duke ended up calling off TLS saying they were not needed.
Benefit Explanations Meetings will be held in Buffalo on September 26 at the Millennium Hotel on Walden Avenue, in Syracuse on September 27th at the Holiday Inn on Electronics Parkway in Liverpool and in Albany on September 28th at the Albany Union Hall. All meetings start at 6:00 and you may bring your spouse. We will also be having a separate 97c Benefits Meeting on October 4th at 6:30 at the Holiday Inn on Electronics Parkway in Liverpool.
We still have no word on the Director for Upstate Labor Management position. It is delaying being able to move forward on many issues.
We have lost the Labor Department case on the Sleep Apnea issue with your medical cards and also that our information request was satisfied by the company. We plan on appealing. The company has called to see if we can meet to resolve some of the issues. I am hoping to be able to come up with a list of doctors the company would be willing to accept for your medical cards as well as to be able to use the nurse if a member wishes to.
On October 17th NGrid will be recognizing anyone with 40, 50 and 60 years of service.
PSEG:
They have a new President, Ralph LaRosa. I have plans on meeting him on November 8th.
EXELON:
We will be meeting in the first week of October to negotiate for the Fitzpatrick plant.
ST. LAWRENCE GAS:
St. Lawrence Gas was bought by Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power, for 7 million dollars. We will be sitting down for negotiations but possibly not to next year.
NRG:
There is a possibility of doing something for Huntley. There is someone interested in purchasing the plant and repowering it. We are still trying to repower DSS to gas.