December 2015 - Craftsman

Brothers and Sisters I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone and their families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. My wish for all IBEW Local 69 members is that we have an opportunity to spend time during the holidays with family and friends.

The regulatory staff in Texas recommended rejection of Hunt Consolidated’s plan to purchase and restructure Oncor. Darryl Tietjen, director of the Rate Regulation Division at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, has told PUC regulators that the deal will move millions of dollars from ratepayers to shareholders, and has recommended the state reject the deal.

“The proposed transaction is not in the public interest and I recommend that the Commission reject the applicants’ application,” Tietjen wrote in testimony.  He said the deal would involve a substantial transfer of wealth from ratepayers to shareholders,” to the tune of $250 million annually.

The testimony of the regulatory staff is only a recommendation to regulators, not a final decision. The commissioners themselves must still approve the deal and have set hearings for January 2016. If the Hunt’s are not allowed to restructure Oncor as a REIT it is very possible they will walk away from the deal, which would open the door for NextEra. The saga continues.

While the big money people fight over the pie, we the workers need to continue to take pride in our local union, being a craftsman, and always working safe so we can enjoy our family and friends away from the job.

We have our quarterly meetings scheduled for January 2016. The schedule for the meetings is as follows;

Waco - January 5 – 5 pm – Hampton Inn – 4259 N Hwy I-35

Salado – January 6 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn – 1991 N Stagecoach Rd.

Jacksonville – January 7 – 5 pm – Best Western – 1659 S Jackson St.

Brownwood – January 12 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn Express – 504 W Commerce

Snyder – January 13 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn – 1305 Coliseum Dr.

Odessa – January 14 – 6:30 pm – Elegante Hotel – 5200 E University

Wichita Falls – January 19 - 5 pm –  4214 Kell Blvd.

Paris – January 20 – 5 pm - Holiday Inn Express – 3025 N E Loop 286

Lewisville – January 21 – 5 pm – Select Inn – 200 N Stemmons Frwy.

Dallas – January 26 – 5 pm – 1408 N Washington

Fort Worth – January 28 – 5 pm –  4750 Bryant Irvin Rd.

I look forward to seeing everyone that can attend a meeting.

Remember the reason for the season. Until next time may God bless you, your family, and our local union.

Craftsman - September 2015

                                                September 2015 Craftsman Article

Brothers and Sisters I hope everyone had a great Labor Day Week end. The contract ratification vote for Oncor employees was concluded on September 10, 2015. The contract proposal was a two (2) year contract extension with three percent (3%) wage increases for all eligible classifications. The contract offer from the Company was accepted by the membership of IBEW Local 69. The three percent (3%) wage increase will go into effect on October 26, 2015, and another three percent (3%) wage increase on October 26, 2016.

The Union is continuing to wait on the arbitrator’s ruling on the Donnie Moore case. As soon as we receive a ruling we will send the ruling out. Keep the Moore family in your prayers.  We pray that Donnie gets his job back in Jacksonville, Texas.

At this time there is no news to report on the EFH bankruptcy. It appears that EFH has wanted the Hunts to own Oncor all along. EFH disregarded the billions on the table offered by NextEra. If you have any information regarding the sale of Oncor feel free to share it with your union leadership. Whoever the new owners of Oncor will be, rest assured that IBEW Local 69 will be interveners at the TPUC proceedings.

IBEW Local 69 will conduct the last quarter unit meetings around the state. The schedule is as follows:

            Waco - Tuesday – October 6 – 5 pm – Hampton Inn

            Salado – Wednesday – October 7 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn

            Athens – Thursday – October 8 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn

            Brownwood – Tuesday – October 13 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn Express

            Snyder – Wednesday – October 14 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn

            Odessa – Thursday – October 15 – 6:30 pm – Elegante Hotel

            Wichita Falls – Tuesday – October 20 – 5 pm – Hotel At Wichita Falls

            Paris – Wednesday – October 21 – 5 pm – Holiday Inn Express

            Lewisville – Thursday - October 22 – 5 pm – Select Inn

           Dallas – Tuesday – October 27 – 5 pm – 1408 N Washington

          Ft. Worth – Thursday – October 28 – 5 pm Holiday Inn Express

I look forward to seeing everyone at a meeting near you.

Until next time may God bless you, your family, and our local union.