Contract Update

Due to TS "FAY" and the fact that two of the Line dept VP's will not be available, the dates have changed for the upcoming contract negotiations. We will now exchange proposals on September 4, 2008 and begin negotiations on September 15, 2008.

I also want to remind all of you that the next meeting will be held on September 8 beginning at 7:00 pm. I will have a lot to talk about, so please be on time.

Tomorrow we meet with Mike Lewis to get the news on how many of our brothers and sisters will be laid off this year. I cannot believe that I actually had to write that but there it is. I will post something tomorrow evening and give you my thoughts on what is going to happen in the near future.

Now is the time to stand up and be a Union Brother or Sister. This Union belongs to all of us and it is about time we start acting like one.

Fraternally,

David B. Price
President

Mother Jones:
My friends, it is solidarity of labor we want. We do not want to find fault with each other, but to solidify our forces and say to each other: "We must be together; our masters are joined together and we must do the same thing."

Layoff Update 8/18/08

Earlier today, the company notified the Union that they cancelled the meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. The intent of that meeting was to announce to the System Committee the number of jobs being cut later this year.

I have not beeen given a new date for this meeting but will post it as soon as I know. Please be safe as we work to restore power in the next couple of days.

David B. Price

Layoff Update

Earlier today the System Committee and the Company met to discuss the pending job cuts. The meeting was requested by the Union for the sole purpose of exploring alternatives to a layoff. The System Committee proposed several areas where work could be performed by bargaining unit employees within the distribution area.

The first area addressed was urd trenching and make-up crews. The Union proposed changes to item 48 of the 1986 MOC. This language was a "must have" by the company in 1986 to reduce the cost of urd trenching. The Union updated the language to reflect the conditions we have now in 2008. The Company responded by saying that this was not in their "business plan" and had no interest in bargaining unit employees doing this type of work or "tree trimming". All of this urd work is routinely performed by the bargaining unit and the proposal would only expand the amount of this work being performed by bargaining unit crews.

The next area was under build on transmission projects. This work at times was performed by contract resources due to the lack of resources available. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this should not be an issue.

In discussions about the TRIP program, the company stated that the first phase was nearing completion and the second phase of this program would be worked by the bargaining unit. The amount of work in the second phase is minimal but would be scheduled in with regular work.

The actual implementation of the layoff was the last item on the agenda. The Union offered at the first meeting several weeks ago to allow the layoff to be offered by reverse seniority. The company has tentatively agreed in principle to do that. The Union and the company will be working on a Memorandum of Understanding in the near future.


The company and the System Committee will be meeting next Tuesday afternoon to discuss the actual number of positions being cut. I would assume that the information will be given to all of the employees the next morning.

I will post any changes or updates to this information as soon as it becomes available.

Fraternally,

David B Price
President

SCU-8 Officers

Brothers and Sisters,

System Council U-8 had their elections this past Monday. Here is a list of the newly sworn in officers:

Business Manager - Joseph L. Adams

Chairman - David B Price (LU 1412)

Vice Chairman - William "Billy" Godwin (LU 1491)

Recording Secretary - Robert Hanna (LU 682.2)

Treasurer - Hobie Simons (LU 433)

Congratulations to all of the officers!!!!

Job Cuts

By now, you have all heard that the company will be laying off later this year. I want to let you know that your Union leadership is doing all we can to limit the impact this will have on our members. Business Manager Joe Adams and the System Committee requested to meet with labor relations and senior management as soon as possible. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss options other than laying off our members.



I do not know what will come of this meeting but hopefully there will be a better understanding of what the real issues are and options offered to fix the problems. The Company has cited a lack of new meters being set and a lack of new construction as the driving force for this pending layoff. What happened to the rest of the work we do? What about "restoring power" and "maintenance" work? I thought that was our primary responsibility anyway. Where has all that work gone?



Financially this company is doing good. It is not like we are going belly up and need to shed costs or go down with the ship. Florida is still growing by the day. Just look east to the other big utility in the state. As of today they have hired over 100 employees and are continuing to do so as we speak. They are not the only ones either.




I feel that our company needs to take a closer look at the phrase "Human Capital Investment". They take great pride in announcing new base loaded generation, capacitor programs, new trucks, etc... What about the employee? What about the investment that gives back with innovation, dedication and commitment?



If you look on our web (http://www.ibew1412.org/) page links are posted to other utilities where you can search for jobs within the industry. The links were put up since we do not know how deep the cuts will be. My goal is to eliminate or reduce any impact to the bargaining unit. This type of information will at least give you an idea of what is out there. If you do not see a job on the web, I encourage you to at least contact the companies and see what options they might have.



I encourage all of you to get involved by going to local meetings, reading the newsletters and checking the web out daily. I will post any changes as soon as I know them.



Fraternally,



David B Price

President, LU 1412