After twelve months of negotiations and Federal Mediation, IBEW Local 69 Members at Fox 4 have ratified a three (3) year contract. The new contract went into effect on July 1, 2015. The bargaining unit members at KDFW-TV received a 2% wage increase upon ratification and will receive a 2% wage increase for the second year and a 2% wage increase on the third year of the three (3) year deal. I would like to thank Jack Gwyn, Steve Yakub, and John Gnann for their service and dedication negotiating the contract with the Company. Many times it is an extremely difficult and thankless task.
IBEW Local 69 Members and representatives of WFAA –TV met on July 20, 2015, for negotiations on a wage opener in the labor agreement. Paulette Hooker, Bruce Baron, and Bobby Reed represented the Union in negotiations. The Company proposed a 1.5% increase and an additional .5% merit component to be determined at management’s discretion. The offer will be presented to the members for a vote the last week of July.
Oncor Electric Delivery has proposed a two (2) year contract extension to IBEW Local 69 Members. The Memorandum of Agreement the Company sent over reads as follows: It is mutually and agreed upon and understood by the Parties that the current Labor Agreement in effect October 25, 2013 – October 25, 2015 is hereby extended for a period of two (2) years with a revised expiration date of October 25, 2017. All terms and conditions of the Agreement previously set forth will remain in force with the exception of Article VII, Section 2, Wages and Wage Rates. This article and section are hereby revised to reflect three (3) percent wage increases for eligible classifications as delineated in the attached wage schedule. After looking at the wage scale the classifications that are not eligible for the wage increase are the classifications the Company calls Legacy Employees. The Local Union is in the process of creating a schedule to have a vote on the Company proposal in the near future.
The local union should receive a decision on the Sam Goodson arbitration any day. IBEW Local Union 69 arbitrated Donnie Moore’s termination case (Journeyman /Jacksonville) on July 23 and 24. We will not receive a verdict for at least three (3) months on his case. The Union and Company have mediation scheduled for the terminations of Chris Lollar and Kyle Jones on August 24, 2015. Our local union has an arbitration scheduled on November 3 and 4 for Chris Lollar’s termination and arbitration scheduled on November 18 and 19 for James Henry’s termination.
Everywhere I go the question I hear is who will be the new owners of Oncor Electric Delivery? My answer is, your guess is as good as mine. This ordeal has been truly bizarre. The Hunt’s are in, then they are out, then they are back in. It seems EFH is working extremely hard for the Hunt’s to be the winner and new owner. The Texas Attorney General’s office has told an attorney in the Energy Future Holding’s bankruptcy case to stop making “insinuations” that Dallas billionaire Ray L. Hunt’s proposal to take over transmission/distribution company Oncor was “assured” state regulatory approval. That last part about the state regulatory approval is of great interest to IBEW local 69.
Until next time may God bless you, your family, and our local union.