as of july 1 , 2017 local g-555 has 1178 members · ressie smith eddie hall, executive president...
TRANSCRIPT
ISSUE 2 - JULY, 2017 THE UNION EYE
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
It has been a busy twelve months since our last newsletter in July of 2016. We knew we needed to take some time
to communicate some of the many things that have been happening in our Union over the last year.
I wanted to take just a few moments to speak on turnover. If you look at the bottom of this page, you’ll see that as of
July 1, 2017 we are at 1178 members; that is the exact same number as this time last year. Since July 1 of last year,
we have had 52 retirements. We thank all of our retirees for their years of dedicated service and we will be around to
the union meetings again to honor them with their certificates of appreciation and union jackets. The Union knows
that a wealth of knowledge and experience leaves with each and every retiree, that is why we continue to negotiate
with the Company to bring UWUA Power 4 America to our new training center where we will be able to utilize retirees
and hopefully active senior employees to assist in training our members; no one knows our jobs better than us! Since
July 1, 2016 there have been 82 new full-time union eligible employees hired, as well as 6 union interns. The Union
continues to push to backfill all positions, add additional bodies, and create new positions where possible. We would
like to welcome all of our new members to the G-555 family and encourage them to actively participate in their Union.
These topics and more will be expounded upon in the following pages; please take some time to read this Newsletter
and if you have questions or concerns please contact me or call the Union Office.
Fraternally yours,
Eddie Hall, Executive President
Gas Workers Union Local G-555
Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO
It is with the heaviest of hearts that Local
G-555 announces the passing of two active
members of our Union. In April of this year we
lost both Kathy Herbst and Frank Nelson.
Kathy Herbst was a long-time FMS Rep A at
Randall Shop and Wilbeth Shop; while Frank
Nelson was a Contact Tech for many years at
Eastern Shop. Local G-555 sends our
deepest sympathies to The Herbst and
Nelson families, friends & loved ones.
GAS WORKERS UNION
LOCAL G-555
UTILITY WORKERS UNION of AMERICA,
AFL-CIO
www.G-555.com
EDDIE HALL
EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT
ROBYN ARBOGAST
EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT
RESSIE SMITH
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
PAUL TALBOO
EXECUTIVE TREASURER
WIL SOTO
BUSINESS MANAGER
7777 EXCHANGE ST., SUITE 11
VALLEY VIEW, OH 44125
PHONE: 216.328.0154
FAX: 216.328.0368
www.UWUA.net
AS OF JULY 1st
, 2017 LOCAL G-555 HAS 1178 MEMBERS
THE UNION EYE 2
The Union will be sending out survey forms in the near future to
ask for YOUR input as we prepare to enter into contract
negotiations. Please keep an eye out for a paper survey in the
mail as well as on our facebook & www.G-555.com.
As of July 1, 2017, the members of Local G-555’s Lima District
will receive their final raise to bring their wages equal to those
of the rest of G-555 as part of an agreement negotiated by the
Union. We are happy that the former members of Local 308 are
now equally paid members of Local G-555.
The Union was successful in getting the Company to agree that
in the case of job bids for a Helper or “Learns To” position, that
if a candidate possesses the minimum requirements of the
position, the job will be awarded by seniority.
The Company and Union entered into an agreement to bring
our members a Prescription Safety Eyewear Program free of
charge to all employees who have safety glasses as part of their
PPE. Representatives from 3M have made one round of visits
to the Shops and plan to do a second round in the Fall. We
have heard positive feedback from many of the employees who
have participated and received their prescription safety
glasses.
The Union was able to come to an agreement to change
language in the current Stopper & Tapping job description in
order to promote employees faster. This will allow those in the
classification who demonstrate their knowledge & skills to
ascend through the progression of classifications with reduced
mandatory timeframes attached to those classifications.
The Union was successful in convincing the Company to adjust
their “Job Selection Process” for internal candidates.
Applicants will no longer receive any points for how they fill out
their “self-assessments”, rather the answers from that
assessment will be used during the interview to discuss actual
job skills rather than the STAR technique that had been utilized.
Retirement sessions for those who will be 55 years old by the
end of the existing CBA were held June 6-8 at Canton Perry
Yard, The Training Center, Eastwood, and Randall Shops. For
anyone unable to attend, a video of the session has been made
and DVD’s are available free of charge. Please contact Human
Resources to request a copy of the presentation.
The Union was able to negotiate a Boot Voucher Program
through Tyndale that began June 1, 2017. Employees eligible
for clothing reimbursement in the CBA will be able to purchase
their own boots and can submit their receipt to Tyndale for
reimbursement of up to $150 once per year with a $15 service
fee. The reimbursement form should be available from your
Local Rep or can be found in the members section of www.G-
555.com. Go to: http://g-555.com/members-area/member-benefits/
The password for members is: G-555.
The Company and the Union are once again partnering for the
Union Intern Program. Six interns from area colleges have been
hired to participate in a 13-week intern program where they will
have the opportunity to be exposed to the operations areas of
the Company. Participants will get a one-week gas overview
class and then spend 3 weeks each in Leak Detection, FMS,
C&M and GM&R. This program has been successful in the past
in placing young, educated people into our workforce and we
hope it will have the same success this time around.
With Dominion having re-branded itself as Dominion Energy,
the Union and Company reached an agreement to allow every
member who is eligible for clothing reimbursement through the
current CBA to receive 5 shirts from a select group selected by
the Company at no cost to the member. Employees can
choose to shop from the re-branding catalog when they log-in
where they can find the selections for the 5 free shirts.
The 5 shirts must be ordered by November 10, 2017. The Union
is currently working to see if new Dominion Energy patches
could be made available to replace the existing Dominion
patches or if a patch replacement plan can be made through
Tyndale. In addition, new G-555 patches and heat transfer
logos have been given to Tyndale, so all newly ordered items
that have the Dominion Logo should have the Gas Workers
Union Local G-555 logo as well.
The oldest CBA in the Union’s possession dated July 26, 1951, under the Presidency of Francis J. O’Rourke, was only 13 pages long.
THE UNION EYE 3
On June 8, the Union participated in the Ribbon-Cutting
ceremony for the
Ohio Technical
Training Center
(OTTC) with the
Company and
representatives of
the build team,
Village of Boston
Hts. and Summit
County Officials.
The OTTC is a state of the art training facility that will be used to
train all Dominion employees, ensuring that G-555 members
remain one of the best trained workforces in the industry.
Later that evening the G-555
Young Workers Committee co-
sponsored an open house with
Next Generation, the
Company’s young professionals
group. Union members from
different departments were on-
hand to give demonstrations of
the training facilities and explain what their job involves as
employees toured the grounds. Guests were treated to a cook-
out. We thank the Young Workers Committee and all the
members who volunteered their time as experts in their field in
making the Open House the overwhelming success that it was.
Following a vicious dog attack on one of our own union sisters,
the Company and the Union agreed that there was a need for
better training in dog defense for all employees who spend any
time in the field. Training from Bulli Ray, one of the country’s
premier experts in dog defense, was offered to Dominion
employees. The feedback we’ve received from members has
been positive. Most felt that what they learned would help keep
them safer were they to find themselves in a situation with an
aggressive dog.
Don’t forget, as always, that The “New” Union Eye, newsletter
of Gas Workers Union Local G-555, will be available on the
Local’s official website, www.G-555.com. A link will also be
made available on the Local’s Facebook page, found at:
https://www.facebook.com/LocalG555/
This year the Company chose to relocate the “New
Construction Group” from the ISC to East 55th St. in Cleveland.
The Union was able to get the Company to commit to not
involuntarily transfer the ISC Agents currently in those roles. The
affected agents were able to choose to remain at Eastwood
Shop, and as a result, we were able to secure nine new hires to
fill those positions. Additionally, the Union and the Company
were able to agree to changing the closing hours of the ISC
from 7:00 pm to 5:30 pm. The Union was also able to ensure
that all field support calls are handled by DEO personnel.
A G-555 Communications Committee was created to assist the
Union in delivering pertinent, factual information to our
members in a timely manner in various formats. They are
currently in charge of putting content on the Local’s Official
website & Facebook page. The Committee consists of Paul
Talboo (Chairman), Kristi Grossholz, Rick Higinbotham, Andy
Newsome, & J. J. Popio. One of their first missions was to help
tie themes for content for different days of the week, adding to
the #WhatsInMyCBAWednesday theme where sections of our
contract are highlighted and the #ThrowbackThursday theme
focusing on the history of the Gas Co. & our Union developed
by Chairman, Paul Talboo prior to the creation of the committee.
The committee have created the #MedicalMonday theme
highlighting sections of our medical benefits, the
#TellMeSomethingGoodTuesday theme where members or
the Union can shine a spotlight on positive things happening,
the #SolidarityFriday theme, where we’d like to have employees
at their shops send us pictures of themselves and their brothers
& sisters in their G-555 gear, “repping” their union and showing
their solidarity, and lastly the #FollowFriday theme, highlighting
union & pro-union companies and individuals that we feel our
members should consider supporting or who offer advantages
to our members. Going forward, the Communications
Committee will be charged with helping to roll out phase 2
improvements to the website, which include a text/email blast
system, on-line merchandise store, and other enhanced
features. In addition, they will work on future editions of this
newsletter as well as new merchandise and apparel that will be
available for purchase. Please forward any photos or
suggestions on topics you would like to see covered to
After pressure from the Union about the length of their hiring
process, Dominion began a new recruiting / hiring process this
year in an effort not only to target the most qualified candidates,
but also to decrease the amount of time it previously took to get
a new hire through the on-boarding process in areas where a
large amount of jobs needed to be filled. Union employees
were utilized in both the recruiting and hiring events.
THE UNION EYE 4
ELECTION PROCESS
MODIFICATIONS
G-555 HELPS ONE
OF OUR OWN
Our most recent elections, held on March 27, 2017, saw a departure
from the mail-in ballot style election process that had been utilized over
the last 10-15 years, back to the in-person style voter process the Local
had used from its inception until the early-2000’s, but with some added
improvements to increase voter participation. This Election Committee
worked tirelessly to ensure that they created a solid foundation upon
which the most democratic elections this Local has ever known could
be built upon. A massive amount of coordination, research, preparation,
and communication went into making these recent elections as
successful as they were.
For the first time ever, union elections were held at the Shops at which
our members work to allow ease of access to the polls, similar to the
way we’ve conducted contract ratification votes. The Union worked
hard to ensure that the Company would not interfere with our elections,
including allowing those who were off sick or on vacation to come in to
vote without threat of discipline. The Union was also able to have the
Company allow members that “home start” to be alloted time to come
into their shop to vote, roving clerks that may not be assigned to their
home shops that day were informed that they would be allowed to report
to their home shop in the morning to vote, members at smaller shops in
the Dover / New Phila. / Marietta District were permitted to drive their
Company vehicles on the clock to either the New Philly or Marietta Shop
to cast their votes, and Engineering Inspectors who could have job sites
all over our territory were permitted to leave their job sites to report to
the Springside shop in order to allow them the opportunity to vote.
Further, a system of color-coded and numbered seals for the ballot
boxes was instituted to eliminate any question of tampering. The new
ballot ballot bags and seals are actually approved for use in Federal and
State elections in the U.S. Privacy screens and private voting booths
were utilized to maintain the secrecy of the ballots. The Cleveland office
of the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards
were consulted often to make sure that everything we did in these
elections met or exceeded the DOL’s guidelines for conducting fair
elections.
Voter Turnout increased over similar previous elections that had used
mail-in ballots. Technical issues involving the third party that conducted
those previous mail-in elections were eliminated with this newly
designed process.
The Leadership’s opinion was that no one could do a better job of
conducting our elections than we could. Thanks to the hard work of
everyone on the Election Committee (Paul Talboo-Chairman, Jim Davis,
Deb Moffitt, Rob Newsome, Josh Thornton), as well as all of those
members who served as pollworkers, that opinion proved true.
This new process may not be flawless; as with anything, we are sure
that improvements will be thought of, and instituted by future dedicated
Election Committees, but this election was a success.
In mid-March of this year, one of our union
sisters, Jody Shaw (FMS Representative – Canton
Perry Yard) suffered a tremendous loss when a
fire destroyed her home. Shaw, who fosters and
rescues dogs, was not home at the time, but
thankfully her son and all of her pets made it out
of the home safely.
A call went out to all of our members to ask if they could help a sister in
need. The response from our members was immediate and overwhelming.
Cash donations and gift cards started rolling in from all over our territory.
While the union immediately contacted the Company and asked to have
additional money put into her Tyndale account to replace the uniforms she
lost in the fire, clothing donations and other essentials were collected to help
offset the immediate loss of both her work clothes, personal wardrobe and
personal items. Motions were passed at District Union Meetings to have
funds from raffles, etc. donated to our sister from Canton.
The outpouring of love and concern
from the members, many of whom
she admitted she’s never met, from
areas she’s never been to, were
uplifting at a time when she needed it
the most. “The outpouring of help is
tremendous… from [members] that
don't even know you or [from Shops]
not even in a close surrounding area.
At a time when you think you are defeated, all the donations brought your
spirits back up.”, Shaw said. She went on to add, “I appreciated those that
did the extras things or made personal calls or texts. I tried to send cards
to all that I received donations from, but if I missed you, ‘thank you’. If you
did receive one, thank you again!”
We were happy to find out that after a long
rehabilitation process, Sister Shaw has been
able to move back into her house, but she now
begins the arduous task of unpacking and
making it a ‘home’ again. Shaw commented,
“I am just now getting back in after four longs
months, but have so much to do that now is
the most stressful time for me; [having] to
move and unload boxes.”
We thank Sister Jody for sharing her heart-
wrenching story and we ask all of our members
to keep her in your thoughts and continue to
offer her whatever support or assistance she
may need. The Local would also like to take a
moment to thank all those that donated and
took the time to help one of our own. Situations
like this, when all of our members come
together to support a brother or sister in need,
is when we should be most proud of this Union.
THE UNION EYE 5
UNION & COMPANY MAKE SAFETY INITIATIVES
Our communities continue to face serious challenges; the opioid epidemic,
wage inequality, and other factors, too numerous to name, have led to a
continued increase in violence and crime, especially against utility workers.
This year alone we have had our own members face armed robbery,
harassment, menacing, and more. Being out in the public we also are in
harm’s way of continued gun violence or crimes where we can easily be
bystanders.
The Union’s Leadership is wholly committed to doing everything in our
power to ensure the safety of our members and the customers we serve.
While there is no cure-all to the dangers we face every day or a way to
eliminate 100% of the risk, we have been working every day with the
Company to improve our processes and to attack these issues in new ways
and with new ideas. Below are some of the safety initiatives we have been
working on.
COMMUNICATION: The Union has worked with the Company to ensure that
notification of safety alerts happen quickly and are getting out to all
employees that could possibly be in an unsafe area. Dominion has created
broader groups, utilizing their existing call-out system to inform employees
via text message and email. While this process is improved over what we
had prior, we know it is not perfect; the Company is currently testing a
system that is specifically designed to be a messaging system called Send
Word Now that should improve speed and reliability in notifying our
members, including the ability to add personal email and cell phone
numbers to guarantee notifications are received.
The Company will be rolling out iPhones for all field personnel to aid in
communication over the next few months and they are currently testing
personal alert devices that can be worn and when signaled, would alert
Police and EMS and relay your GPS coordinates. These would be made
available for use at the discretion of the employee and are not going to be
required PPE.
Dominion and our Local have also partnered with other area utility
companies and their unions in order to share information when incidents
occur. First Energy, Spectrum Cable and Dominion have already begun to
notify each other when they become aware of any safety issues. We hope
to add AT&T and other area utility companies in the near future.
LEGISLATION: Our Local is working in coordination with the Company, our
National (UWUA), the Ohio AFL-CIO, other unions including the
Communication Workers Union of America, as well as other utility
companies to build a coalition to push for legislation to increase the
penalties for crimes perpetuated against utility workers. Our hope is to have
a bi-partisan bill introduced when the Ohio House and Senate return for the
Fall session. Studies show that in states that have passed similar legislation,
the crimes against utility workers have dropped by noticeable amounts.
NEW SAFETY COMMITTEES: The Union was able to negotiate the creation
of some new safety committees. A Lone Workers Committee was created
to look into the risks of positions where members perform a majority of their
job duties alone in the field. In their first couple of meetings the union
members from various departments worked with the Company’s
management and safety personnel to identify all of the risks of each position,
find where their risks overlap, and work on ways to mitigate those risks in
the future, along with developing training for employees in those positions.
A Leak Detection / Corrosion Safety Committee as well as a Fleet Safety
Committee were added to the existing process safety committees (FMS,
GM&R, C&M).
OTHER SAFETY INITIATIVES: The Union and the Company worked together
to revise the Dominion Safety Alert procedure. The Company is now making
sure that all safety incidents are reported to Corporate Security for the
purposes of tracking the incidents and to be able to follow up with local law
enforcement, including aiding in the prosecution of those who commit
crimes against our members. President Hall has reached out to the
Cleveland Patrolman’s Association President, Steve Loomis, to ask for help
in making sure that the Cleveland Police take the time to take police reports
from our members when incidents happen.
Out of some of the Safety Committee meetings came the suggestion for
Dominion vehicles to have “DO NOT CARRY CASH” stickers placed on
vehicles again. The Company has had them made and are in the process
of getting them put onto our trucks.
The Union partnered with the Company on their Safety Barometer Survey.
There has been good participation and we hope that the feedback with help
identify more ways we can keep our members safe.
Shop Safety Committees have been calling in during monthly Take P.R.I.D.E.
safety calls to discuss incidents and to share ideas and other best practices.
Following the armed robbery incident involving two members from GM&R
at Northeast, Kristina Anderson, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shootings,
was brought in and made available to the affected employees to share
experiences and offer insight into the recovery process of traumatic events.
Ms. Anderson also gave a presentation at the Northeast Shop for the
employees there. The feedback that was received was positive and the plan
is that she relay her story at our other Shop locations in the future.
The Union has urged the Company to research any and all training methods
used in the industry to help our members stay safe in the field. The
Company has reached out to some of the other large utility companies and
are trying to find the best professional training for awareness and personal
safety.
One incident is too many, but we know we have been lucky that nothing
worse has happened. We are working with the Company to learn from each
incident to try to mitigate the safety risks our members face each day. We
shall stay vigilant. Please do your part in reporting all safety events and near
misses, not only to management, but also to the Union so that we can learn
from them and hold the Company accountable if they do not take the
necessary steps to keep you safe. If you have ideas or concerns, please
reach out to the Union and to your local safety committees. No one does
our jobs better or safer than Local G-555 members!
THE UNION EYE 6
LIMA SHOP GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY
PLEASE VISIT THE G-555 WEBSITE AT www.G-555.com MEMBERS PASSWORD: G-555
& IF YOU ARE ON FACEBOOK, PLEASE LIKE THE OFFICIAL G-555 PAGE: www.facebook.com/LocalG555/
On June 27, 2017 Dominion Energy Ohio broke ground on the new 13 Million
Dollar Lima facility. The new facility, which will contain offices and a warehouse,
is being built across the street from the existing Shop. The project is expected
to be constructed by January of 2018 and employees should be moved in to the
new facility in the
Summer of that year.
G-555 Lima District
Union Rep, Tim
Reindel, was
included in the
ceremony, taking a
scoop of soil with
one of the golden
ceremonial spades.
The Company hosted
a catered lunch for
the employees and
the honored officials from the City and County, as well as the design and
construction team. Employees received new Dominion Energy t-shirts and
insulated tumblers. Operations that day were shut down to allow all the
employees to participate.
The Lima News did an article on the ground-breaking that can be found here:
http://limaohio.com/news/250188/dominion-energy-breaks-ground-on-13-million-lima-facility
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE,
G-555 RETIREES (JULY, 2016 – JUNE, 2017)
R e t ire e Name R e t ire me nt Dat e Ye ars o f S e rvice
Pre side n t Eme r it us, R usse l l J. Maz zol a 7/1/2016 27
R e t ire e Name R e t ire me n t Dat e Ye ars o f S e rvic e R e t ire e Name R e t ire me n t Dat e Ye ars o f S e rvic e R e t ire e Nam e R e t ire m e n t Dat e Ye ars o f S e rvic e
Donald E Wichterman 7/1/2016 28 Darrell L. Threat 10/1/2016 27 Philip J. Yan 2/1/2017 30
John J. Gretchko 7/1/2016 37 Thomas S. Florian 10/1/2016 32 Gerald L. Bucchioni 3/1/2017 30
Gretchen L. McBride-Chavis 7/1/2016 27 Kenneth Knight 11/1/2016 36 Charles E. Deak 3/1/2017 27
Vanessa C Fox 7/1/2016 12 Janet D. Chappelle 12/1/2016 25 Margaret Jean Lewis 3/1/2017 42
Wendy L. Jaffe 8/1/2016 39 Anthony T. Milano 12/1/2016 38 David M. Marshall 3/1/2017 27
Michael J. Hovan 8/1/2016 38 James C. Lorenz 12/1/2016 24 Marilyn E. Rivers 3/1/2017 36
Deborah W. Godfrey 8/1/2016 29 Bobbi Marie Haag 12/1/2016 10 Karla J. Gadley 4/1/2017 35
Susan E. Deeks 8/1/2016 43 Thomas M. Priest 1/1/2017 26 Donna M. Ruther 4/1/2017 33
Cheryl A. Donovan 9/1/2016 23 Ronald K. Casada 2/1/2017 37 Scott W. Spangler 4/1/2017 28
Michael D. Powell 9/1/2016 37 Alan C. Claybrooks 2/1/2017 38 John L. Thompson 4/1/2017 33
Aroulia Hill 9/1/2016 42 Brian C. Hale 2/1/2017 30 Lee E. Winnett 4/1/2017 26
Cheri E. Allen - Tate 9/1/2016 38 Alex W. Huston 2/1/2017 37 Terry B. Blevins 5/1/2017 34
Thomas E. Lenhart 9/1/2016 24 Brian K. Lindsey 2/1/2017 38 Seldon L. Farnsworth 5/1/2017 37
Nancy L. Davis 10/1/2016 43 John Lovelace 2/1/2017 44 Donna S. Falatok 5/1/2017 26
Sharon A. Hartley 10/1/2016 22 Sam Niro Jr. 2/1/2017 48 Inga Draudt 6/1/2017 42
Michael A. White 10/1/2016 32 Donald A. Oehlstrom Jr. 2/1/2017 27 Dale L. Haren 6/1/2017 24
Debora D. Smith 10/1/2016 28 Anthony D. Singleton 2/1/2017 36 James A. Perk 6/1/2017 39
G-555 Lima Union Representative, Tim Reindel (3rd from Left), takes a
ceremonial first scoop at the Lima ground-breaking ceremony.
Rendering of the new Lima facility by Burns McDonnell
THE UNION EYE 7
LOCAL 69 & LOCAL G-555:
BUILDING A BOND OF BROTHERHOOD
Our Brothers & Sisters at the United Gas Workers Union Local 69, UWUA have
had an eventful and at times trying last year or so; enduring a lockout and
working on an expired contract, turnover in elected positions, and recently
severe flooding in areas of West Virginia that they serve. Through everything
they have stayed strong and remained resolved. During the lengthy negotiation
process Executive President, Eddie Hall and the leadership here at Local G-555
continually reached out to UGWU Local 69 President, Craig Bradford, to offer
our support and solidarity.
“Knowing that Local 69’s contract would be the last contract Dominion Energy
bargained prior to the G-555 CBA expiring in 2018, it was of the utmost
importance to us to support Local 69 in their efforts to bargain an equitable
contract. We also knew that there was a lot we could learn about what to expect
for our own upcoming negotiations by building an even better relationship with
our Sister Local”, said Hall.
In early March, Local 69 were finally able to reach an agreement with the
Company. After the dust settled, President Hall and President Craig Bradford
began discussions regarding aspects of their negotiations, tactics the Company
used, etc., but got around to the topic of the need to develop training for Union
Officers, being that both of our Locals were in a similar position having a good
amount of turnover in their elected officer positions. President Hall mentioned
his desire to create an internal Representative training program. President
Bradford explained that they had developed their own training for officers and
invited Local G-555 to travel to Bridgeport, West Virginia to participate in Local
69’s Executive Council meeting and their officer training.
President Hall was happy to accept the invitation, as the Local was in the
process of gathering as much information, from as many different sources as
we could find, in order to create a comprehensive training program for our Local.
Meeting with Local 69 would allow us to share best practices and utilize portions
of the content they created; adjusting it to fit our processes and CBA.
President Bradford and his Executive Board were not easy on the G-555
delegation; they were expected to participate as if they were any other Local 69
Representative. Our team was asked to participate in some mock grievances,
to answer questions on what constituted grievances, to do some sample
grievance writing, to answer questions regarding labor law and Weingarten
rights, and more.
“I appreciated that their E-Board didn’t take it easy on us. Being held to the same
standards as their officers kept us on our toes. It also helped us learn what
teaching methods were most effective as we were learning their CBA and
grievance process as we went, just as if we were new officers ourselves”, said
Local G-555 Executive Treasurer, Paul Talboo, who is helping to design the new
curriculum. Talboo continued, “I also appreciated that they added a section to
teach their Reps how to do a new hire union orientation. It is important to make
sure that we indoctrinate our members into the Union culture as soon as
possible. New members need to understand, especially if they didn’t come from
a union background, that the benefits, wages and working conditions of their
jobs were not handed to them from the benevolent Company, they have been
fought for and won by your Union through years of hard-fought collective
bargaining.”
Jim Davis, Canton District Representative from Local G-555, commented about
Local 69’s training, “I appreciate that Craig and his Board invited us here to
participate in the training. I think there were a number of things that we will be
able to directly translate to our own training. I particularly liked that there was a
written test at the beginning and then at the end of the training so that you could
gauge the amount of information that was learned and retained throughout the
training.”
Looking back after the end
of the training, Local 69
President, Craig Bradford
stated, “I was very
impressed with Eddie and
his group who attended;
with his leadership, it’s
clear that their Local is in
very good hands as they
provided input during our
training as to how they
perform their duties which
actually helped us. We
have begun to form a bond
of brotherhood between
Locals that can only help
us go into the future. I look forward to working with Eddie and his Local for
many years to come.”
Local 69 Vice-President, Jason Boyce, added, “I was very impressed with
Robyn, their Vice President. She was a wealth of knowledge and very inspiring.”
He continued, “The relationship that has developed between the two Locals is a
win-win for us all and the Union movement.”
President Hall expressed his gratitude thusly, “We would like to extend a big
thank you to Local 69 for inviting us to attend their Representative Council
training. President Craig Bradford kept the Directors and Stewards engaged and
challenged during the training, along with Jason Boyce (Vice-President), Derek
Metz (Secretary), and Kevin Parsons (Treasurer). Their training will be very
helpful in developing our Representative training at Local G-555. We look
forward to continuing the bond of brotherhood and working together in the
future.”
Local G-555 Executive Vice-President, Robyn Arbogast, commented on her
experience, “It was great meeting everyone at Local 69. We really appreciated
all the information that you provided about your union’s structure, contract,
bylaws and everything you went through during your last negotiations. Local G-
555 will definitely benefit from your recent experience. Thank you to Craig,
Jason, Derek and Kevin for challenging Local G-555 to compete against your
Representative Council, it was an awesome test!”
Craig Bradford closed with, “The members of Local G-555 should feel very good
about their leadership and your Local; you are very well represented. Our Local
would gladly go to battle with you anytime.”
LOCAL G-555 WALKS THE PICKET LINE WITH CWA WORKERS
May 19-21, 2017, members of the Communications Workers of America
went on strike against AT&T. The strike was called to bring awareness to
AT&T's unwillingness to negotiate towards a fair contract for workers,
while wanting to outsource more and more American jobs.
Members of Local G-555 stood shoulder to shoulder on the picket line
with our CWA brothers and sisters on Saturday the 20th at the AT&T store
in Independence, Ohio.
In the current political climate of anti-unionism, we must be evermore persistent in our fight against corporate
greed. We hope that AT&T will come to the table with an equitable offer soon, but if not, we will be ready to walk
the line again if our CWA Brothers & Sisters need us.
LOCAL G-555 PARTICIPATES IN UWUA MINI-CONFERENCE;
MEETS WITH NATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO STRATEGIZE FOR NEXT CONTRACT
Local G-555 sent a small delegation to a mini-conference held by the Utility Workers Union of America in
Wheeling, WV in early June. The Local plans to incorporate some of the training on grievance handling and
membership outreach to help us as we continue to build our custom G-555 training program for our
Representatives.
While attending, the Executive Officers of our Local took the opportunity to open a dialogue with the Leadership
of the National. Among the items discussed were contract negotiation strategy, benefits costing and options,
contract language provisions, and more.
President Mike Langford and Vice-President John Duffy (see photo left), as well as Secretary-Treasurer Mike
Coleman pledged their continued support to our Local as we prepare for negotiations and moving into the future.