May 2024

Greetings everyone,

I hope you are all in good spirits. The following is an overview of the month of April.

The month of April began with me hitting the road for our explanation of the agreement reached with the company concerning our successor agreement. Myself as well as others from our bargaining committee visited all locations except for Toketee and Prospect. Toketee we had already discussed at the last unit meeting as the meeting occurred shortly after we had come to an agreement and checked in with Prospect to see if they had any additional questions or would like a visit. The vote was conducted on April 8, 2024 and the contract was ratified. We notified the company on Monday or Tuesday of the following week once we received all the ballot envelopes and verified the counts called in. While on the road show, we also had a grievance meeting in Albany discussing how to resolve an issue with an employee and, hopefully, we can move forward. I had believed we all had an understanding and for several weeks we moved forward and checked in with stewards, thinking things were getting better in Albany until the last week of the month, where the situation began to turn for the worse. This is still an ongoing discussion and collecting additional information to continue conversations with management and labor relations.

We continued discussions of simplifying craft entry at PP&L. Through discussions involving our appointed members regarding Utility Specialists, Groundmen, Apprentices, and Pre-Apprentices. This was our second in-person meeting and I believe we are almost there. With our next meeting, we hope to be in agreement about how to move forward.

The second week of the month, I attended my second week of new business manager training. Where week one’s focus was more so focused on the day-to-day operations of running the business of the local, constitution, bylaws, policies and resources; the second weeks focus was on conflict resolution, grievance procedures, dispatch and referral, labor law, arbitration and grievance tracking as well as negotiations. We evaluated the course at the end and made suggestions about how the training could be better split for new business managers with no prior knowledge of working in the hall. It was a great opportunity to connect with other new business managers and our IO reps and education department.

The third week of the month was busy as our office had several people out sick and a heavy load of dispatched for Outside Line, Line Clearance Tree Trimmers as well as some for our Inside Wiremen as well. During this week and the week prior, I was touching basis regarding some ongoing grievances and issues of concern.

The end of the month was filled with trust meetings, JATC meetings and labor management meetings. I have asked President Jeff Anderson to now appoint our newest Assistant Business Manager as the primary delegate to some of these meetings now that he has grown accustomed to it. We held conversations with one of our outside line contractors about writing an LOA to add a mechanic/mobile mechanic to the outside line agreement as they want to employ their own instead of being reliant on the schedule of an outside party. We also had a training for all staff that was available for first contract negotiations in preparation for bargaining with Avengrid Renewables for the Klamath Cogeneration Plant. I was also added to a state work group with a representative from the State of Oregon in regard to transmission projects and the hurdles they face and how to streamline the process. We also held a step two grievance meeting regarding one of our grievances that was brought out of abeyance. We are awaiting the company’s official response after that meeting.

To close, I would like to remind everyone that our next scheduled PP&L LMC meeting is on June 19, 2024. Please be sure to submit any LMCC topics to me via email. Preferably no later than June 7, 2024. We also have our IBEW 659/Jim McLean Memorial Brotherhood Fund picnic approaching fast on June 22, 2024 at Joseph Steward County Park near Lost Creek Lake in Jackson County.

I will be on the road again the first two weeks of May for Western LAMPAC (Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee) with President Jeff Anderson, then the week following I will be at the Utility Construction Conference. I do plan to check emails and phone as much as possible, but responses may be delayed as I try to be present in these meetings.

Warm Regards,

Nick Carpenter

IBEW 659 Business Manager

nick@ibew659.org

541-227-9736