Brothers and Sisters the heat is on! Not only is it hot from the Texas summer weather, the companies in Texas have ratcheted up the heat on their employees. At Channel 4 our members are dealing with management that respects them about as much as Oncor workers are respected. We have met numerous times for contract negotiations at Fox 4 and the attitude of management is, there is a long line of people waiting at the door to take your jobs if you don’t like the way you are being treated and what you are being paid. Sound familiar Oncor employees? The fact is your services play a critical role in your Company’s success. A major problem with the two companies mentioned above is they do not care as much about their product and employees as they do their profits. Fox 4 and Oncor are making huge profits. We are scheduled to meet and negotiate at Fox 4 on June 26th. The Union Negotiating Committee will report the results of that meeting to the members as soon as possible.
I just returned from San Diego, California, where I was visiting IBEW Local 465 which represents the workers at San Diego Gas & Electric (Sempra Energy owned). It did not take long to realize how good a working relationship IBEW Local 465 and SDG&E have. I attended meetings the company and local union had during my stay. It was very encouraging to hear words during the meetings like partnership, team, respect, and safety. The cool part about it was I could tell they meant it. Safety is just a word at Oncor. The Apprenticeship Program at Oncor is a joke! Oncor does not have a certified Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program. Oncor’s training program is so bad they send Apprentices out to work on trucks alone and call it training as a part of their program. Oncor has a new CEO, Allen Nye. The Union is hopeful that Mr. Nye will be open to dialogue with the local union leadership regarding the safety of the employees and the public. I will reach out to Mr. Nye in order to forge a new relationship between the Company and the IBEW.
IBEW Local 69 has Unit Meetings scheduled for the month of July. The following is the schedule for meetings in July.
July 3 – Tuesday – Waco – 5 pm – George’s – 1925 Speight Ave.
July 5 – Thursday – Corsicana – 5 pm – Chili’s
July 10 – Tuesday – Brady – 5 pm - The Locker – 109 N Church St.
July 11 – Wednesday – Eastland – 5 pm – Mary’s Restaurant – Strawn, TX.
July 12 – Thursday - Odessa – 6:30 pm – Elegante Hotel – 5200 E University
July 17 – Tuesday - Wichita Falls – After Work – Oyster Bar – 4214 Kell Blvd.
July 18 – Wednesday - McKinney – 5 pm – Hooters - 1775 N Central Expy
July 19 – Thursday - Sulpher Springs – 5 pm – Muddy Jakes – 229 Main St. 75482
July 24 – Tuesday - Dallas – 5 pm – 1408 N Washington Suite 210
July 26 – Thursday – Ft. Worth – 5 pm – Oyster Bar – 4750 Bryant Irvin Rd.
I look forward to seeing everyone that can attend a meeting.
Congratulations go out to FSR, Don Gray and his family. Don’s daughter, SaVanna Gray has been awarded a $500.00 scholarship from the Texas State Association of Electrical Workers to attend college and continue her education. Pretty work Don!
Until next time may God bless you, your family, and our local union.
