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Member-Run
Unionism
The Difference
Membership
Involvement
Can Make
Interview with Rob Eubanks, President, Connecticut
Independent Utility Workers, Local 12924 (CIUW).
CIUW represents 300 workers of the Connecticut
Gas Company. They are based out of Hartford, CT.
Most Recent
Contract Settlement
of the CIUW:
- Wage increase of 11.25% over four years;
- Layoff protection for all union employees on payroll as of 12/1/97
for the length of the contract;
- Meal money increased to $10.00 as of 12/1/98;
- Company provided life insurance increased to $40,000;
- Loans available through 401(k);
- Retirement plan formula changed - social security offset
eliminated (1.35% x years of service; minimum 30 years of service and age 62 for no
reduction);
- Four year contract.
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What did the
CIUW do
differently
this contract?
We assigned more people to work on the contract negotiations. We had seven people on
the negotiating committee with two of our officers out in the field keeping people updated
on negotiations progress. Everyone contributed and had unlimited input and was involved in
the negotiations process.
What things
did you do to
more involve
the membership?
We had special meetings during the negotiations. Like I said before we had two officers
in the field, not to mention our stewards and other negotiating committee members. We,
also, for the first time used a phone tree - especially during the last day of
negotiations. Within an hour to an hour and a half we could reach our entire membership of
300 workers. The stewards ran the phone tree. The negotiations committee knew that
communicating with the membership during negotiations was a big thing. It really helped to
boost morale and confidence in the union because everyone knew what was going on.
To prepare the membership for negotiations and let the company know we were united, we
wore buttons, t-shirts, jackets — which we had never done before. It wasn’t a
big thing but it gave our members a sense of unity and it gave us good visibility to the
company.
What happened the last night of negotiations?
Our contract was supposed to expire at midnight. We told the company that if we
didn’t have a settlement we were prepared to strike and when we didn’t have a
settlement at midnight we caucused to call all the members on the phone tree and let them
know what was going on. We came back and extended the contract hour to hour. At around 4
am we got a tentative agreement — and we called all the members again. The company
didn’t like our phone tree and it put a lot of pressure on them to settle —
especially on that last night.
What's the local doing now that the contract is settled?
We are getting more and more involved in political action. We are members of the Labor
Party and this last November our members got more involved in campaigns than ever before.
Since we work for a utility (Connecticut Gas) that is heavily regulated by the state, our
members have come to the conclusion that their livelihood depends on getting more
involved. Since we began going to the UE (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of
America) political action conferences in Washington, DC every
spring, our presence in Washington has significantly improved and the company knows that.
They bring it up all the time. That shows us we’re having an impact.
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