Christmas message from the IBEW Local 37 Executive Board

An update on high level meetings with officials and frequently asked questions about the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec

Over the past month and a half, Local 37 members have had many, many questions about the potential impacts of a sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec. Since then, I've been working hard to get as much clarification as possible, in order to provide information to members in these uncertain times. I've met with senior officials at NB Power, high level members of the New Brunswick Government including several Ministers and I've met with the CEO of Hydro Quebec on two occasions to raise our concerns and to seek assurances. Those meetings all went well, and I do believe that we will get the items we need to ensure that IBEW members are properly treated.

Although I will need to see the final wording of legislation and have it reviewed by our lawyers, I am increasingly confident that if this sale occurs, we will be able to ensure that most, and perhaps all, of the potential issues created by a sale process will be dealt with in a way that will minimize many of the potential impacts on IBEW members.

I know there are many strong feelings about this sale, but no matter what happens it is critically important that we deal with these issues, and the assurances I've received are significant and should provide some comfort to members.

Based on the information and commitments I have received so far, I've put together a set of "Frequently Asked Questions" and answers that can be read by clicking here.

Please feel free to submit more questions to nbpsale@ibew37.com and I will do my best to post more Questions and Answers in the coming days and weeks.

New Video Update for Members

Be... in dis-grace

Had to post this! It's a great example of a creative way to express an opinion!

The video can also be viewed on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1F3si9CXBg

:-)

What are members allowed to do when participating in the public debate on the proposed sale of NB Power?

Many members have been asking if they are allowed to participate in the protest rally or other public debates about the proposed sale of NB Power, and if so, how far can they go? The brief answer is that by all means, you can participate, within limits and by exercising good judgement. IBEW members working for NB Power wear "two hats" - they are members of the public service but they are also ratepayers and private citizens. As private citizens, on your own time and with your own e-mail or computer you can, and should, engage in the public debate about the proposed sale of NB Power. Having said that, there are a few guidelines that I want to pass on to members, because it is not "anything goes".

The following is a summary of a legal opinion from our lawyers:

"The brief answer is that employees are allowed to communicate their feelings as long as they do it in a proper way. Employees can’t do anything that could be considered a strike.

Employees may protest or rally, so long as their actions do not constitute a strike. They may voice their opinions so long as in doing so they do not harass or intimidate anyone, and their actions or speech are not offensive or provocative, nor insulting or embarrassing of the employer in the eyes of the public, not critical or insulting about the employers or managers, or disruptive of the legitimate business of the employer.

In short, employees may express their opinions as long as they exercise good judgement in doing so.

This is true online as well. Employees may voice such opinions in online forums. However, they should keep in mind that off-duty online conduct may be the subject of discipline. This could occur if the postings were offensive or disruptive (as above) or critical of the employer or its employees, or revealed confidential information of the employer."

So in practical terms, what does it mean? It is perfectly OK to say that you don’t think NB Power should be sold, and to tell the facts – that we already deliver the lowest cost, most reliable electricity in the region. It’s Okay to express opinions (like saying our thermal plants should remain in operation) and concerns (what will happen to rates after five years?). Keep it to reasonable debate, don't use personal attacks or give out business secrets (for example, the production cost for power at one of our plants) and you should be Okay. In addition, you shouldn't use NB Power's computers to send e-mails or post things online.

One of the most effective things you can do to express your opinion is to write your local newspaper or your MLA, and let them know your views on this deal.

If you write to your MLA, you should follow up by requesting a face-to-face meeting with the MLA (they are usually in their riding on Mondays). The executive assistant may try to brush you off, or offer to pass your message on for you, but insist they schedule a face-to-face meeting.
When you write to or meet with your MLA, the simplest argument is just to say that the electrical system belongs to the people of New Brunswick, and unless the people of New Brunswick vote that they want to sell it, it should stay in our hands. Regarding the debt, it is not a burden on the people of New Brunswick – NB Power generates revenue and pays its own debt.
In fact, NB Power has paid off more than $1 Billion of debt in the last five years and the various rating services say that the removal of the debt won’t improve the provinces credit rating. In addition, we have the lowest power rates on the East Coast of Canada and the United States and we are one of the most reliable. NB Power has been a key service for New Brunswick, paid for by New Brunswickers and it should remain in our control.

Tips on writing letters, as well as the e-mail addresses for local media outlets, MLA’s and members of Parliament can be found on the IBEW website in the "Take Action" section.

Members have been asking about the protest rally planned for Novemebr 17th at the Provincial Legislature from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. I will be one of the speakers at the rally, and any members who are able to attend are encouraged to do so.

PLEASE NOTE: For IBEW Local 37 members that plan to attend the rally and do not already have the day off, please make sure to either book a vacation day or use banked time.

Business Manager's video address about proposed sale of NB Power

IBEW Local 37 Business Manager, Ross Galbraith addresses members employed at NB Power about the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec. His comments also include the Union's position on the future of Dalhousie Generating Station.

You can also find the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiL7ZS3rlXU

Members, we want to hear from you - if you have any questions or concerns about the issues surrounding this propsoed sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec, please send us an email. We've set-up a special address: nbpsale@ibew37.com

Proposed takeover of NB Power by Hydro Quebec.

This past week, the New Brunswick government finally put an end to the speculation that had been raging for a week, and announced that they had reached a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the Province of Quebec. If completed, the deal would see NB Power purchased by Hydro Quebec (HQ) with NB Power subsequently run as a stand-alone subsidiary of Hydro Quebec. Disturbingly, the deal also announces the intention to phase out Dalhousie Generating Station next year when their current fuel supply contract expires, and it also suggests that the other fossil fueled plants -- Coleson Cove and Belledune, may eventually be phased out as well. This news has had a devastating effect on our NB Power Generation members, particularly those working in Dalhousie, a town that has been hit hard by job losses in recent years.

My plan is to remain calm and focused on the job of representing our members and their interests. It's important to keep in mind that this is a MOU only, and the proposed deal may not go through - there are a lot of things that could scuttle it. Having said that, it's important that we are prepared for all possibilities - we need to cover the bases and make sure we are properly prepared no matter what the outcome.

To that end, our initial action of writing immediately to the Premier as soon as we heard rumours has paid off. If a sale does occur, we have already obtained commitments that 1.) protect the pension plan, 2.) offers employment to all current workers with recognition of their service, 3.) binds the new entity to our existing collective agreements and 4.) also maintains the bargaining rights of the IBEW members.

These initial commitments are huge for the union and its members (there are no protections in those areas for us within the Public Service Labour Relations Act) and they allow us to approach this from a level starting point, instead of having to dig ourselves out of a hole. I don’t think we would have had these commitments if we hadn’t taken immediate action as soon as we heard that a deal might be in the works.

In addition to the above, we have also engaged one of the best labour law firms in Atlantic Canada to work on our behalf as discussions on this move forward. In addition, I am also trying to arrange a high level meeting with Hydro Quebec (I have already spoken briefly with their CEO) in order to seek commitments from them in advance of a potential sale and to look at other options for our fossil fueled generating stations. This is just prudent insurance, in case a deal does go through.

I've also had discussions with senior management of NB Power concerning ways to minimize the impact to the workforce if a station closure does occur. They have committed that they will seek to introduce early retirement, voluntary separation and redeployment programs if it does become necessary to reduce staff.

All of the above actions are just some of the initial steps we've taken. We've got a lot of hard work ahead of us and we'll be keeping members up to date as this situation evolves through updates on this website.

Dealing with the unknown

Rumours that Hydro Quebec may purchase NB Power are startling words for all New Brunswickers, and especially for the 2200 NB Power employees represented by IBEW Local 37. Even more startling is when the rumours and speculation aren’t confirmed or denied.

I want you to know that as Business Manager, I have made it my mission to find out what’s going on and to keep our members informed with the best available information. Although there isn’t a lot of concrete information out there, there’s no denying that things are getting serious and that we can expect a significant change.

Yet, amidst all of the confusion I can confirm this: IBEW Local 37 is dedicated to ensuring the needs of its members are protected.

We haven’t been sitting idle while everything unfolds. From the moment the rumour mills started buzzing, our office started taking steps to find out as much as we can, as quickly as possible. Every effort is being made to influence decision makers, get answers, speak with the media and determine what the possible effects will be if something does happen. We need to be at the table so that as things move forward, we can have the necessary input on the concerns we have, concerns such as the continued employment of our members, their pensions and benefits, their terms and conditions of employment, and the implications that change will have on this province and its people.

But our focus isn’t stopping at our 2200 members employed at NB Power. This is also about their families and the communities in which they live. I’m also concerned about what the level of service we provide to New Brunswickers will be down the road. Most New Brunswickers can identify with what happened over time when NBTel became Aliant. Yes, we have phone service and support today, but are they at the same levels as they were 15 years ago? The simple fact is that whatever decision is made has to be in the best interest of the province not just two years from now, but also 30 years from now.

Next step - I will be meeting with the Premier this week and you can be guaranteed that the voices of 2200 Local 37 members will be heard. Stay tuned.

The Globe and Mail features an indepth look at pensions this week.

As all of you will know, the recent economic and investment market downturn has lead to a negative impact on pension plan investments as well as personal savings. It raises concerns as to whether or not today’s workers will have sufficient resources for a secure retirement. I think it is important that we all stay informed about this subject, and you may want to check out the Globe and Mail's week-long feature "Retirement Lost" which started on Saturday October 17th. As the series unfolds, it will include many detailed stories and articles about various issues related to pensions and retirement.

Grand Lake Generating Station and its impending closure

Earlier this week, NB Power announced that the Grand lake Generating Station (GLGS) will close in June 2010. GLGS burns locally mined Minto coal produced by NB Coal. NB Coal's only customer is Grand Lake, therefore NB Coal will close in December 2009.

Grand Lake Generating Station has been an outstanding power station with a strong performance record. Unfortunately, the local coal mined in Minto has a very high mercury and sulphur content, and changing environmental emissions limit are playing a strong part in the decision to close the plant. (It is very difficult to "scrub" mercury out of a power plant's emissions.)

Many Local 37 members outside of GLGS have been wondering what will happen to our members at Grand Lake. Although it is too early to tell exactly where individual employees will be going, we will work with NB Power to get the best outcome possible for our members.

We have had discussions with NB Power over this impending closure, and in fact have had many meetings with them over the last several years as it became more and more obvious that the station would eventually be closing. We have participated in several information meetings for employees that NB Power held at GLGS over the last two years and Assistant Business Manager Gary Munn was present and spent a good part of the day at the station when the announcement was made.

As we move towards the final closure date, I want all members to know that we will continue to work closely with NB Power on behalf of our members at Grand Lake.

Did you know?

Building a culture of wellness and active living

Most readers know that I’ve been a big champion of the key IBEW value of safety in the workplace. We’ve made tremendous strides in safety and now I think we must start to focus the same kind of energy and attention on wellness and healthy living. Although the damage of an unhealthy lifestyle isn’t as immediately obvious as the aftermath of a workplace accident, the truth is that far too many of our members end up suffering from poor health and a reduced quality of life.

The mission of Local 37 is “to work as a team to improve the lives of our members and their families”, and I believe that encouraging a growing focus on wellness and a healthy, active lifestyle is clearly within that mandate, in a number of ways.

The immediate benefit is direct improvement in health for our members. Study after study shows that an active, healthy, lifestyle boosts resistance to disease, lowers stress and improves or prevents many serious health problems (heart and stroke problems, diabetes, etc.). We want members to have a good quality of life, not only while working but also in retirement and one of the best ways to do that is encourage a culture of health, wellness and active living.

A secondary benefit relates to the savings we will see in the cost of our benefit programs. The prices we pay for our benefits are directly linked to the costs we incur as a group. The costs of drug coverage and health benefits are rising every year, and many of those cost drivers are related to preventable illnesses and risky health conditions that would benefit from an increased focus on an active healthy lifestyle. For example, every year we collectively pay hundreds of thousands in benefits premiums for cholesterol lowering medication like Lipitor. Obviously, there are some people who need this medication, but in a lot of cases, high cholesterol can be successfully treated through proper diet and exercise.

To support the above outcomes, Local 37 has already done a number of things to encourage our members to lead healthier, active lifestyles. As talked about in the last blog entry, we introduced a program to encourage member participation in community fundraising events that support healthcare and involve physical activity. We also have a program that can provide modest grants to groups of employees for workplace wellness activities. Earlier this year we also partnered with NB Power to encourage participation in the provincial walking challenge, and early reports are that it definitely has had a positive impact on the number of people participating in this summer long event.

I know it’s important to lead by example, and if I’m going to “talk the talk” on wellness and active lifestyles, I’d better “walk the walk”. My life is pretty busy and in the past that’s been my excuse for not finding time to be more active. But I’ve decided there will be no more excuses, I’m going to get moving, so I’ve recently started a running program. I’m taking it slow, as I build my fitness, but I’ve got a goal of running in a 5K event next year. That will be the topic of another blog entry though!

Involvement in great causes - Local 37 members who care about their communities

Local 37 members have a growing history of getting involved with community events, often in partnership with some of our employer friends. Yesterday was a great example of this, when Local 37 sponsored teams from Point Lepreau ("Positive Energy") and Coleson Cove ("The Generate-oars") competed in the 5th annual Saint John Dragon Boat Festival. Although the final amounts are yet to come in, it looks like the combined total raised for the St. Joseph's Hospital foundation by these teams was over $30,000!

This was the first year that Coleson Cove employees entered a team, and the third year that Point Lepreau employees had a team, which this year included a number of employees from AECL who are working on the refurbishment project.

The very first Point Lepreau Dragon Boat entry occurred three years ago, when I received a call from Keith Miller, who is a Manager at Point Lepreau. He had recently returned to work after an illness in which he had been treated at St. Joseph's hospital, and he wanted to give something back to the hospital that had treated him so well. He explained to me that he had registered a team and paid the $1000 registration fee, but the boat had to be named after a sponsoring organisation, and he wanted to know if it would be okay to call it an IBEW team, since most of the rowers would be IBEW members. I was honoured that he wanted to do this, and agreed immediately. To make a long story short, through Keith's generosity and the hard work of a team of volunteer employees, the first year's team was a great success.

In fact, it was such a great success, I wanted to find a way to encourage Local 37 members to get involved in similar activities in following years. As a result, I worked with the Local 37 Health, Wellness and Benefits Committee to develop a pilot project that provides financial support to teams of IBEW members wishing to participate in community, charitable fundraising activities related to health and wellness. The type of charitable events supported had to include physical activity by the participants (running, walking, paddling, etc.).

This program has been very successful, and to date we have sponsored "Run for the Cure" and "Relay for Life" teams in addition to the Dragon Boat teams. There is an application process, if you are interested in learning more about this program, the application form and more information can be found here.

Photos: (Top to Bottom): The IBEW Coleson Cove Generate-oars winning their second race, Keith Miller and IBEW Positive Energy Team Captain Steve Brown, the Positive Energy Team site, Positive Energy paddling out to the start line for their second race, and some members of the Generate-oars on stand-by for their next race.

Revisiting the Government's wage restraint policy

Lately I've been hearing a lot of questions about the impacts to Local 37 members of the New Brunswick Government's wage restraint policy. Although we have already posted some information about this on our website and I've written a previous blog entry about it, it's worth covering again.

To recap, the government announced a wage restraint policy that affects employees in all parts of the public service. Government is saying this action is necessary because of a projected deficit in their revenue, caused by the economic downturn and also a projected shortfall in the public service pension fund.

The government has said that all existing collective agreements will be honoured, however as existing contracts expire they will negotiate new two-year collective agreements. Under the new negotiating mandate, the new contracts will have a wage freeze, with no increases in wages for a two-year period. This will affect all employees in the public service, and the wage freeze has already started for non-union and management employees.

To be clear, I have been told that Local 37 members will receive all the scheduled increases which have been negotiated in the existing collective agreements. It is business as usual until the current contracts expire.

In addition, the government has said this policy will not affect step increases or progressions through a classification, (for example if someone were at step “c” they would still go to step “d”) and it will not affect the normal reclassification or promotion process.

The first Local 37 contract affected by this will be the Nuclear Contract in place for employees at Point Lepreau, which expires at the end of 2010.

Although I can’t predict exactly what will happen at negotiations, we will go to the table to bargain for each of our bargaining units when their contracts expire, and I’m sure we will be able to make gains. There are lot’s of other issues that can be discussed - vacation, RRSPs, paid family leave, overtime rates, etc., and in reality, some of those are pretty important to members.

Obviously, I'm not happy about any of this, however I do know that there are some really serious issues impacting the province, and we could be in far worse shape. At least this is happening at a time when the current yearly rate of inflation for the province is 0%.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this,please feel free to contact the union office.

A key milestone reached in the Point Lepreau refurbishment project.

I received word yesterday that the final calandria tube has been successfully removed from Point Lepreau’s reactor core. The removal of the 380 calandria tubes marks the the last major job of dismantling the old reactor and now the work of rebuilding the reactor core begins. This is an important milestone in the completion of the Point Lepreau refurbishment project and I wanted to let you know that I am proud of everyone who has contributed to the refurbishment project so far.

A lot of the most difficult and challenging work has now been completed, safely, and it is due to the hard work and dedication of all Local 37 members who have helped to plan and execute this project and related activities, whether directly or in a supporting role, and also those who have worked as protection assistants to ensure that our partners in the building trades unions and AECL are able to work safely. This also includes our members working in all other NB Power companies who have kept the rest of NB Power's complex system running smoothly for the people of New Brunswick while Point Lepreau is off-line.

Speaking of safety, this first of its kind project has gone millions of hours worked without a lost time accident -- this is top performance that is never matched by industries and workplaces that don't have our culture of always putting public and worker safety first.

Local 37 members continually reflect the qualities that the IBEW is known for: the best skills, the highest quality and the strongest work ethic. As we move into the next phase of the project - putting the reactor back together and commissioning - I know that all Local 37 members will continue to shine, by remaining focused on those qualities and by working safely.

Grand lake employees' fantastic safety record!

Last week the employees of Grand Lake Generating Station (G.S.) celebrated a wonderful milestone of 10 years without a lost time accident. There have been a number of safety records reached by IBEW members within the NB Power group of companies and with our other employers; however the achievement of the Grand Lake employees is especially noteworthy.


Grand Lake G.S. is the oldest thermal plant in the NB Power system, and although it has been scheduled for closure, the final date (now set at June 2010) had been a moving target.

As a result, workers have had the multiple challenges of an aging plant that requires significant manual operation, reduced staffing levels as some workers were released for opportunities in other locations and significant uncertainty around the final timetable for plant closure. Despite these challenges, workers and management have shown their commitment to the principle that the most important thing is for workers to be able to go home safely to their families and loved ones at the end of each days labour. By working together cooperatively they have achieved this wonderful safety record, and they can be an inspiration to all of us.

To commemorate the special achievement of 10 years without a lost time accident, a BBQ was held at the local community centre for plant staff. At this event I was honoured to present the members of the Grand Lake Joint Health and Safety Committee (JH&SC) a framed certificate recognizing all Grand Lakes G.S. employees’ strong commitment to safety.

The IBEW was founded in large part from a desire to improve worker safety – it’s great to see that tradition living on at Grand Lake Generating Station!

(Top: Grand Lake G.S. employees celebrate their achievement. Bottom: IBEW Business Manager Ross Galbraith presents a certificate of achievement to all employees of Grand lake G.S. Accepting on behalf of the employees is JH&SC Chairperson Kenny Fraser and the other members of the committee.)

Comments on the Telegraph Journal story suggesting NB Power may be privatized

Those of you who read the Telegraph Journal may have been a bit surprised by a front page story today under the headline "Utility on the block". Although I don’t think it is anything to get too worked up about at this time, I want you to know that we remain strongly opposed to privatization and are doing our due diligence on this issue and will respond appropriately.

For those who haven’t actually seen it, the story was prompted by an announcement by the provincial government that it is entering into talks with the Province of Quebec about developing partnerships in the energy sector. When he was interviewed by a group of reporters on this, Premier Graham was asked if these talks would include discussions on privatizing NB Power. His response was vague, saying: “This is going to be a very broad discussion. There are going to be a number of hypothetical questions out there.” That response led the TJ reporter to the conclusion that privatization could be one of the topics of discussion, and that led to the headline “Utility on the block”.

We are now trying to find out more, but at this point, our gut feel is that the headline is sensationalistic.

I can’t believe that the province would seriously consider privatization. The case against it is overwhelming. The Premier knows we’re better off than Nova Scotia or Maine, both of whom have privatized utilities. He knows New Brunswickers would be paying more and outages would be more frequent and last longer under a privatized utility. The track record is there. But perhaps even more importantly, he knows the public doesn’t want it, and that keeping NB Power public was one of the three major planks that helped get him elected. In fact, their platform stated that “A Liberal Government will maintain NB Power as a publically owned utility that will serve all New Brunswickers equally.”

Local 37 has fought this battle before and we won’t hesitate to do it again if the need arises. But we don’t want to over-react to something that doesn’t warrant it. I want you to know though, that we are on it.

As always, we welcome your input. Also, if you want your voice heard on this outside the union, you can go to the Telegraph Journal CanadaEast website (http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/) and click on this morning’s story. You’ll see under it where readers have registered their comments. You are free to do the same or to support or oppose the views expressed by other readers. It’s just one more way of having your voice heard.

You're supposed to climb back on, right?

Last October, I wrote about an accident I had been in (http://ibew37.blogspot.com/2008/10/health-update.html) which resulted in me spending three days in the Intensive Care Unit at the Saint John Regional Hospital after suffering a head injury. As some of you may know, one of my hobbies is training and driving Standardbred (Harness) racehorses, a hobby I picked up through my father, who trained racehorses as an occupation, for nearly 50 years. The accident occurred during a horse race, when the horse I was driving fell suddenly, propelling me into the ground head first. Luckily for me, I was wearing the proper safety equipment (a top notch helmet and a protective impact vest) and there is no doubt that the helmet saved my life.

Just like most accidents, it came without warning and it was unexpected -- it's one of the reasons we always need to use the safety equipment and tools we have - you can just never tell.

You may be interested in listening to an interview CBC radio did with me about the accident. You can find it at http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningsaintjohn/int_archives/jun.html by scrolling down to the June 8th interview.

As an update to that blog entry, I thought some of you would like to know that I'm now "back on track". You know what they say - if a horse throws you, you need to climb right back up! The good news is that last week I won with the horse I had crashed with (his name is "Porthill Digger") in my second time out with him this year.

My philosophy on labour relations.

My philosophy, and the philosophy of the IBEW, is to seek out partners we can work with and then build good relationships. I look at our employers as partners, people that we can hopefully have a good relationship with in order to achieve the things our members are looking for.

This is different than the approach employed by some unions that look at management as the enemy. I know that a good relationship is not always possible – both parties need to want it, and if management doesn’t want to play ball, fine – I can do it the old way.

What about when a difficult issue arises, a potential source of conflict? I don’t run away from it – in fact with a good working relationship, it’s often easier to resolve problems. There is an effective approach I like – it’s to “be hard on the issue, but soft on the people”. By focusing on the real issues, and not taking (or accepting!) personal or “cheap” shots, I can achieve better results for my members.

The photo is of me talking to Gaëtan Thomas, the Vice President of Nuclear. I ran into him at the airport when we were both returning home from some out of town meetings. Because we’ve both worked to build a good relationship, we can discuss issues in a frank and open manner. It saves a lot of time, and often allows better solutions.

A great example of this is from several years ago. We had a number of long-term temporary employees and we had been working to achieve regular status for them. One night I happened to end up at a dinner, sitting next to Gaëtan. We ended up talking about the temporaries, and I was able to put forth the business case for changing their status. Gaëtan was interested in the points I raised and followed up by having his people look into it.

To make a long story short, that informal conversation started the ball rolling and many of those temporaries ended up gaining regular status. If I had tried to achieve that goal the old way – threatening grievances, work slow-downs, or writing nasty letters, I know I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. But by valuing the relationship, and treating the issue as a joint problem that we could work on together to find a solution, we achieved real results. A win-win result.

And that’s what it’s all about.

Local 37 helps students learn about opportunities in the skilled trades

Local 37, NB Power, and Women in Nuclear (WiN) were the title sponsors of the Skills Work! networking dinner that provided an opportunity for close to 100 female students in grade 9 -12 from the Saint John area to meet and network with a variety of tradeswomen from their community.

The event, which was the first of its kind in New Brunswick, gave the students a unique chance to learn about the skilled trades and technologies by participating in organized networking sessions with the 22 female mentors. Also in attendance were number of educators, dignitaries, community partners, business leaders, and parents.

The mentors were women working, training, or teaching in a skilled trade who shared their experiences and encouraged the students to consider the trades as a rewarding and challenging career choice. It was impressive to see that a number of the mentors were IBEW members - each and every one of them shared encouraging and inspiring messages that will undoubtedly help the young women make informed decisions about their future.

Not only did this event allow the union to connect with a younger generation, it really brought attention to the pride, passion, and professionalism of Local 37 and its members. By continuing to support events such as this one, the union can continue on it progressive and forward thinking path.

The dinner was organized the members of the Point Lepreau WiN chapter and Enterprise Saint John along with Skills Canada New Brunswick which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development of youth in New Brunswick. They strive to promote the skilled trades and technologies as a viable, first choice career option for young people throughout the province.

Community involvement

Some of you may know that I've been involved with several community initiatives within my hometown of Saint John and also a few initiatives that have a wider provincial focus. My motivation is simple - I've lived here my whole life and I want to do my part to help the place I call home to thrive and grow into the future.

I spent this past Friday evening and all day Saturday at a special planning session called "Imagine the Possibilities" which was organized by Enterprise Saint John. You may have seen some coverage of this event in the Telegraph Journal.

There were about 140 of us who gave up part of our weekend to participate in this event, but it was well worth it. As I've been involved with initiatives like this, I've found its really helped me to understand that there are a lot of people within our community that are working hard to make our communities better. (This has been a real fringe benefit of my community involvement - I've met some wonderful people, many who have become good friends, who I may not have met otherwise.) I've also gained an understanding of the part I can play to help my community become a better place.

There are initiatives like this going on throughout New Brunswick, and I encourage you to get involved, to see what you can do. I know there are groups and projects that could use your help within your community, and they will appreciate it.

I guarantee that if you take part, you will find many opportunities, much satisfaction and a real sense of accomplishment. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

Common sense when using the Internet, Facebook, e-mail, etc.

I'm a big fan of the new communication tools we have at our disposal. Obviously, I think this website is a great way to keep members informed, but I also like the whole concept of "social networking". Once a day I'll log on to Facebook and check the status updates of my friends -- I can keep up to date on everyone, and every now and again I'll connect with someone I haven't seen in years.

Having said that, I think it's also important to point out what I think should be obvious -- even the best tools, if used improperly, can lead to trouble.

First and foremost, you need to know that any e-mail or other messages, or websites visited using the employer's computers or other communications equipment, is not private. Your employer has the right to look at e-mails you've sent or received, and any websites you've been visiting using their equipment. What you may not know is that e-mails, even if deleted, can be retrieved, and all of the websites you visit can be tracked automatically.

I know all this first hand, because on more than one occasion I've had to sit with members who were facing discipline, in some cases very severe discipline, because of inappropriate use of the internet and e-mail. I've seen how easy it is for your boss to track and view all of your e-mail, the websites you've been on and even the phone calls you make.

There was a case in Ontario where an employee was fired for sending "Playboy magazine" type photos to his girlfriend using the company's e-mail. She didn't complain, and in fact was a willing recipient, but the company took a stand on e-mailing even "soft core" pornography with their computers.

Most employers have a policy that allows minor internet use for personal business, and I've never seen issues because someone logged on to check the weather or do some on-line banking. That minor usage is not what I'm talking about. The problem is when people do inappropriate things, send inappropriate e-mails or spend excessive amounts of time on the internet.

There have also been cases where people sent inappropriate messages using e-mail or chat lines to coworkers that crossed the line on appropriate workplace behaviour. And in those cases if the recipient brings it to your employer, it won't matter if it was sent after hours or from your home computer.

Some employers have blocked access to some social network sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Our members aren't blocked from these sites and although I haven't yet had to represent a member who has gotten in trouble for excessive use of these sites at work, I expect it will happen any time. I've heard rumours of members spending long periods of time chatting and surfing on Facebook while at work, and if this is true it is just a matter of time before someone gets in serious trouble.

As I said at the start of this post, I like these new tools, but they're best used at home, after work.

My strong advice is to follow some simple rules I've always followed during my career. Give a solid eight hours work for eight hours pay and don't do anything at work that you wouldn't be willing to do if your boss was looking right over your shoulder.

Newspaper debate over the Pension Fund

The majority of members in Local 37 are covered under the Public Service Superannuation pension plan (PSSA). Recently, the PSSA and other public service pensions have attracted some media attention when the government announced that due to market losses they had to account for a $300 million deficit that is related to potential pension shortfalls.

It's important to realise that this is a "paper" deficit only at this time. Pensions are required to be fully funded, so that if a plan were to shut down, enough money has been put aside to pay out the current and future pension benefits of all current and potential retirees. Pension contributions are invested by the New Brunswick Investment Management Corporation so that investment earning help offset the cost of benefits. In a situation like we have seen in the past twelve months, where investments have lost a significant portion of their value, the pension fund becomes underfunded, resulting in the reported deficit. The key thing to remember is that retirement benefits aren't paid out all at once and the investments are bound to bounce back before a lot of those pension benefits need to be paid.

Some special interest groups have suggested the government should convert the current pension plan from a defined benefit plan (a guaranteed retirement pension, based on your years of service and the average earnings) to a defined contribution plan (the employer would contribute a specific amount each year that you would be responsible for investing). The difference is that in a defined benefit plan, you are guaranteed a pension, but in a defined contribution plan, you retirement income is based on how your investments have made out. If the market crashes, or you made bad decisions, you may have a significant retirement income shortfall, or your retirement savings may eventually run out.

There is no question that defined benefit plans such as the PSSA are the best option to ensure that workers will have a proper retirement income and not become a burden on society. However, Finance Minister Victor Boudreau has said he will study the alternatives, and the Telegraph Journal published an editorial this past week encouraging the Government to change the PSSA to a defined contribution plan. Click on http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/615335 to read the Telegraph Journal editorial.

I want all members to know that we are working hard to protect your pension plan. Pensions and the way they are funded are complex issues, and one of the challenges is to simplify the issue so that the average person (including some people who may not have pensions) can understand that the best and most economical long-term choice for both government and their workers continues to be a defined benefit plan.

I have already started the research process of gathering data and information that we will provide to Finance Minister Boudreau in order to prove that our existing plan is the best one for New Brunswick. We will keep members up to date on this important topic as we go forward.

It will also be important that members contact their MLAs to get their commitment to support the PSSA. The Union can write the most persuasive and logical letters to send to government, but there is simply no substitute for 2000 members calling their MLAs! Going forward, we'll provide the information to members that they will need to do this.

The proposed "Energy Corridor" between New Brunswick and the State of Maine.

Earlier today I went to the press conference at which Premier Shawn Graham, Energy Minister Jack Keir and State of Maine Governor John Baldacci announced a feasibility study for the development of an "Energy Corridor" between New Brunswick and the State of Maine. The Department of Energy's press release can be read at: http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/ene/2009e0380en.htm

The proposed corridor would be a "right of way" from New Brunswick travelling through Maine and into the lucrative Boston energy market. This corridor would contain electrical transmission, petrochemical and natural gas pipelines and other energy infrastructure. (Having a pre-approved corridor is a huge advantage to these type of projects. As things have stood in the past, it could take many, many years to obtain the multitude of licenses and approvals required by the State, townships and county's in the US. It took more than a decade for the regulatory approvals to build the International Power Line, and only 18 months to build.)

One advantage of this Energy Corridor for Local 37 is that if gets built, it will help speed the development of Point Lepreau II, by easing the transmission bottlenecks that currently exist between here and the US. Getting access to the US market is key for the commercial viability of additional nuclear units at Point Lepreau.

The other part of this announcement is that Irving Oil is going to invest in the project and they intend to build a natural gas power plant next to their new Liquid Natural Gas terminal in Saint John. This plant would be used to "level" the electrical load produced by the wind projects being built in New Brunswick.

It's important that Local 37 stay on top of these new developments. For example, they have said that they're looking at underground electrical transmission along the corridor, not a traditional above ground transmission system. Will our members be properly trained to construct this type of system? Will other unions (ones who normally construct underground pipelines) try to claim it as their work? What about the emergence of Irving Oil as an electrical generator? How do we forge a relationship with them so our members will have as many job opportunities as possible in the developing energy hub?

Whether we like it or not, the world and the way our energy markets work are changing. There are opportunities as well as threats in our changing energy environment and it's important that we find ways to reduce any risks to our union and it's members, but also look for ways to take advantage of the opportunities and growth that will be occurring.

(Top photo, L to R: A representative of Irving Oil, Maine State Governor John Baldacci and Premier Shawn Graham. Bottom Photo: Energy Minister Jack Keir looks on from the podium)

A little bit about my history with the IBEW

I thought I'd lighten things up, and instead of talking about an issue affecting union members, I'd tell all of you a little about me and my involvement with the IBEW.

In 1992 I started work as a Temporary in Point Lepreau's Health Physics lab after having graduated as a Chemical Technologist. (The people in Health Physics record and track the radiation "dose" that workers receive, as well as measuring and recording any environmental releases of radiation. Releases and worker exposure are both extremely low.)

After I had been there a while, the Shop Steward in my department invited me to attend a union meeting. My Grandfather had been the national Vice President of the International Longshoreman's Association and although I never knew him (he died when I very young) I had a favourable impression of unions. As a result of the invitation, I attended that meeting and became very interested in the union. I think in five years I might have missed two meetings.

I had been attending monthly unit meetings regularly for two or three years when elections eventually rolled around. At the time, the existing Unit Chairperson decided to step down and I heard that a certain person was going to throw their hat in the ring. The problem for me was that I had seen this person in action -- they seemed to have a chip on their shoulder, and it always seemed to me that this person looked for ways to create conflict, rather than solve problems.

Even then, I had some strong feelings about the right way of handling issues. I believed , as I still do, that you can be hard on an issue, but soft on the people. It's not necessary to create needless conflicts and bad feelings in order to deal with problems, in fact it's counter productive. I think it's better to take the high road.

I also feel that if you don't think something is right, you should either do something about it or keep quiet -- just don't complain and do nothing. So, I decided to run for the Unit Chairperson's job -- not because I had ever planned to take on a leadership role, but because I thought the alternative would be a disaster for our members. I ended up winning that election for Unit Chairperson, and as a consequence became a member of the Executive Board.

To make a long story short, in 1996 two new groups within NB Power (the Engineers and the Supervisors) decided to join the IBEW. About the same time, my temporary job came to an end and I was laid off. With our membership numbers growing, the union needed another person in the office and the Business Manager at the time, John Cole, asked me to work for him as an Assistant Business Manager, which I did. About six months later, I was offered a recall to a regular positon with NB Power, but I decided to stick where I was, and turned them down.

The rest as they say, is history, and I've now been working for the IBEW for over a dozen years. I've done a lot of things in that time -- grievances, adjudications, labour board hearings, negotiations, lobbying, etc. You name it, it seems like I've done it. But one thing hasn't changed, and that's my desire to help people when I can and to always take the high road.

The impact of the Provincial Government's wage restraint policy and thoughts on moving forward.

The declining world economy has caused a difficult year for many people in New Brunswick, and this past week the impacts hit all members of the Public Service, including our members at NB Power.

As reported in the media and on the Local 37 website, last week the New Brunswick Government announced that they were going to run an $800 million deficit budget. Part of this deficit is caused by declining revenues -- for example, last year the New Brunswick Government collected over $110 million in royalties and taxes from the mining sector, but with the downturn in the economy, revenues from that sector are expected to be less than $10 million. The loss of revenue from this and other sectors is a big part of the problem.

One part of the deficit is related to almost $300 million in investment losses in our Public Service Superannuation (PSSA) pension fund. I want you to know that this is a "paper" loss that has to be accounted for, but there is a likelihood that as the markets recover the fund will gain back much that it has lost. I also want you to know that Premier Graham told us that he is committed to maintaining our pension plan.

Government is proposing a four year plan to return to a balanced position, but as part of that, they announced job cuts, a hiring freeze for part of the civil service and a wage restraint policy which will impose a two-year wage freeze on all public employees, including Crown Corporations such as NB Power. The Government has said they will not break current agreements, but as agreements expire and are renegotiated, the two year freeze will be phased in.

The hiring freeze and job cuts should not affect NB Power. The wage freeze will affect Local 37 members at NB Power as our current agreements expire and come up for renegotiation. The first agreement that will be affected will be the Nuclear Contract which expires in 2010, then Generation in 2011 and Distribution and Transmission at the end of 2012. That means there is some time before the impacts will be felt by members.

The reality is that there may be a lot of changes between now and then -- the economy can improve, or it could get worse. The key thing I want all of you to know is that we will stay on top of developments in this situation.

No one, least of all me, is happy to be in this position. The simple fact is we are part of a global economy and although Canada is better off than some countries, we can't escape all of the fallout. A lot of people are facing some pretty tough times, with job losses and other serious impacts. We could be in worse shape.

As we go forward and renegotiate our next contracts, we will deal with whatever situation exists at that time. I am sure that there are meaningful improvements we can make, even in the context of a wage restraint policy.

I also strongly believe that even more than before, the key to secure jobs and future gains are to be had by embracing the values of the IBEW Code of Excellence -- having the most productive workers, the best trained workers, and producing the highest quality of work.

If we embrace these values, we invest in our future, and that is what will help us weather the storms we face.

A big THANK YOU for Rhonda Nicholson.

Rhonda Nicholson is a Local 37 member working in the Moncton area. Several years ago, she started to produce a daily e-newsletter for active living. Every day, she distributes a newsletter that has an inspiring quotation, health tips, a healthy recipe and, to lighten things up, some cartoons. I don't know how many people receive her newsletter - I suspect it's a large list - because she sends it to anyone and everyone who wants it. I've been on her list for the last four or five years, and I can honestly say I look forward to getting my active living newsletter every day.

The remarkable, and noteworthy, thing is that the active living newsletter for today was Rhonda's 2000th newsletter! Imagine Rhonda's dedication in producing a newsletter, on her own time, day after day, 2000 times.

What I really like, is this is a great example of someone who decided to take matters into her own hands, to do something that without question has had a positive impact on the health of her co-workers. And she's doing it not for some kind of tangible personal reward, other than the desire to do something to help others.

In my books, Rhonda is an inspiration for all of us.

Energy Minister Jack Keir praises the IBEW at a major national meeting.

Today I was attending the annual meeting of the Canadian Nuclear Association. It's a pretty big deal, with well over 800 delegates from all aspects of the nuclear industry, not only from Canada but from around the world.

NB Energy Minister Jack Keir was one of the featured speakers, and I was very interested in what he had to say. There's a lot going on in the New Brunswick energy sector and he is the key decision maker, with a tremendous influence over our workplaces, so it's a good idea to know what he's saying!

In my experience Jack has always been a strong advocate of the IBEW and NB Power, going right back to the first time I met him, at the launch of the International Powerline Project. He has agreat understanding of the energy sector, and the role we play in it.

In his presentation today, he started out by describing his vision of New Brunswick as a world class Energy Hub, suppling all of the north eastern section of North America, and he went on to describe some of the major projects that are going on, or are planned. Not bad stuff, but a fairly standard speech for a political leader.

But then he switched focus to the Point Lepreau project, and specifically some of the challanges we have been facing with the schedule. He did stress how important it was to do a good job on this project, but he made a major point of praising the IBEW workers at Point Lepreau for their committment, and he also praised the Building Trades unions who are helping us. He explained to the 800 delegates that the delays have been caused in a large part due to the complexity of the work, some of it being done for the first time, and not because of any productivity or labour issues with the workers. He then made a point of recognizing that I was in the room, attending these meetings, and said that he knew that "the IBEW is 100% committed to the success of the project."

He then went further, saying "The IBEW workers at Point Lepreau are doing a great job, with safety as the top priority. In fact they recently surpassed 2.5 million hours worked without a lost time accident. Once again, I want to thank IBEW Businss Manager Ross Galbraith and NB Power's Vice President of nuclear, Gaetan Thomas for their committment to this project."

Later on he once again praised everyone working at NB Power while responding to a question asked about the business model for a potential second unit at Point Lepreau. He explained that the current plan is for the private sector to build and own it, with NB Power and its employees running it. He made a point of saying he was proud of our track record in nuclear, and that he considered us as one of the best nuclear companys in the world and "why wouldn't you want the best in the world to run it?"

It was really gratifying, and much appreciated, to see such strong statements from our Energy Minister -- after all, he wasn't playing to a local crowd of voters, he was in front of a bunch of strangers, and his obvious pride in New Brunswick, our capabilities, and most all, the professionalism of the IBEW, came through loud and clear.

One thing he also highlighted though, was how important this project is for the people of New Brunswick -- we must do everything we can do safely to avoid cost over-runs and excessive delays.

I am in total agreement with him -- as important as this project is to New Brunswick, it may be even more important to the IBEW. Our ability to sucessfully negotiate our next contract, and the liklihood of a second unit at Point Lepreau are strongly dependent on how well we do on this project.

We've all been working hard on the Point Lepreau refurbishment, and we need to keep our focus and continually look for ways to maintain the schedule, and recover time if possible. It's about always working smarter, working safely, and living up to the values of the IBEW "Code of Excellence" -- the best workers, the highest productivity, and the highest quality of work.

(Photo, left to right: Ross Galbraith, New Brunswick Energy Minister Jack Keir)

Joint Labour - Management meetings

Local 37 members participate in a number of local joint labour management (LM) meetings throughout our membership. In addition, I and my staff also participate in a number of bi-monthly joint LM meetings with senior leaders in many of the NB Power companies, and we also have a "High Level" LM meeting on a regular basis with the NB Power Vice Presidents.

These joint Labour Management meetings are all about being proactive in dealing with issues. Why wait until a small problem "blows up" into a big problem? These meetings allow us to discuss items of mutual concern in a non-adversarial forum. It also encourages communication and hopefully a better understanding of each other's role. Labour Management meetings are not a substitute for the grievance procedure or contract negotiations, but can contribute to making both more effective.

Not all of our locations do have Labour Management committees, but in the locations that do, I think they demonstrate that we are responsible, constructive and able to discuss issues in a proactive fashion.

If you have a LM committee in your work location, I encourage you to participate by discussing issues with the committee members, or even by volunteering to help out or to join the committee. If your location doesn't have a regular Labour Management meeting, or other means of raising issues in a proactive fashion, and you think that one would be helpful, why not give the union office a call? We'll see if we can get something going.

(Photo, left to right: Shop Steward Gaetan Cormier and Assistant Business Manager Gary Munn discuss an issue at the NB Power Generation Labour Management meeting)

A message from some Union friends in Argentina

I recently received the following e-mail from Don Dickson, a Shop Steward and the Unit Chairperson from Point Lepreau:

"Ross -- A message from our Argentina friends, who visited in the fall 2007, and looked into our JHSC structure and safety culture. Good news… Argentina established a joint Commission of Health, Safety and Environment this past summer.

Consequently, nuclear workers under a Branch of the Union of Metallurgical have “improvement of our work conditions with the active participation and the exercise of our rights.” This message goes on to recognize and extend thanks to Canadian Union leadership for our cooperation.

We should be proud that we played a supporting role to help improve worker’s safety and rights for those less fortunate to live and work here!"

The rest of this story is that in late 2006 we were contacted by a representative of the Argentine Ministry of Labour, who wanted to facilitate dialogue between Canadian unions representing nuclear workers and the U.O.M. -- the metalworkers union in Argentina, which represents a large number of their nuclear workers. They were interested in the things we were doing in Health and Safety because they have a CANDU 6 nucler plant (the same model as Point Lepreau) in Argentina. Consequently, in 2007 six representatives of the UOM visited Ontario union leaders and then New Brunswick, where we had arranged avisit to AECL and Point Lepreau.

The union members of the U.O.M. were very impressed with our safety programs, both nuclear and conventional safety, and the way the IBEW and NB Power worked together on safety. They told me that they felt they were many years behind us when it came to the way that unions and employers could work together on safety, and they were going to use the examples they had seen here in Canada to push for better partnerships and safety programs at their workplaces in Argentina.

As a result, it was really heart warming to also receive an e-mail from one of their representatives, Javier Sanchez, who wrote to me to say:

"I do not want to stop standing out that the obtained objective of union and working leaders of the UOM was complemented with the great cooperation of the Canadian unions, and the contribution of knowledge and solidarity of its workers and leaders who received us so genteelly in our mission of study accomplished in the month of October 2007 to that great country.

From the Argentine Republic and in the name of the workers of CONUAR-FAE I send you a warm greeting."

It's great to be able to lend our experiences and share information with other working people around the world. It's also a good reminder that we should be proud of, and value, the gains we've achieved that others are still fighting for.

A lot of smoke, but not much fire....

Late last week, a controversy involving NB Power erupted in the media. It turns out that during the previous week, some of the senior executive drafted a letter in support of David Hay. Their letter also contained descriptions of the highlights that have occurred at NB Power while he's been CEO.

The problem began when they also asked workers to sign the letter. When members of the media, and some politicians learned of this, they suggested that workers must have been intimidated and coerced into signing the letter.

Frankly, all of this caught me by surprise, because except for one member who called Assistant Business Manager Gary Munn to let us know there was some kind of letter going around in support of Mr. Hay (and the member who called didn’t seem upset by it), no one had called or e-mailed me or the union office with any complaints.

As unlikely as I thought it was, I was still deeply concerned and upset by the suggestion that our IBEW members might have been coerced or threatened for any reason, so I investigated further by speaking directly to a number of Local 37 Executive Board members and shop stewards to ask what happened, and to find out if they had received any complaints from members. I also spoke to all of the IBEW Local 37 staff to make 100% sure about whether or not we had received any calls or e-mails about this (we didn’t).

The bottom line is none of those E-Board members or stewards felt any threats or coercion took place. None of them thought there was anything particularly note worthy or unusual about it at the time – interestingly, two people told me the same thing - that it was no different than passing around a birthday card for signatures.

In fact, when I contacted one Steward and told him I was calling because the media was reporting that workers were intimidated, and I wanted to know what had happened in his location, he said, and I quote: “That’s BS! I signed the letter myself – It seemed like they were just trying to give the guy a boost because he’s been getting hammered lately – I think he’s doing a good job. There was no pressure to sign it, some did and some didn’t. It was no big deal.”

So, the long and short of it is, I haven’t been able to find any examples of members who felt they were intimidated or coerced.

But although it doesn’t look like there was an issue last week, I do want everyone reading this to know one thing – if there ever is a case of where you feel intimidation, or if you ever feel threatened, or uncomfortable about something, I want you to know that you should talk to your shop steward, or call our union office, or me, right away. We will always stand up for our members rights, and help them resolve issues.

You can count on that.

Wondering why I wrote the opinion piece that appeared in local newspapers this past week?

Recently, the Times and Transcript and the Telegraph Journal each published an opinion piece I wrote that was meant to address some of the criticism that NB Power generally, and David Hay specifically, have been receiving lately.

My decision to weigh in on this was based on several reasons.

First of all, I've received a lot of feedback from members who feel that David Hay is doing a good job, and that he is approachable and open. In addition, I have personally found him to be interested and supportive of issues raised by IBEW, and also supportive of items that are important to IBEW members (safety, wellness, good labour relations, etc.).

To be completely honest, I'm also concerned that his current contract expires soon, and should he leave or be replaced, we may end up with someone who won't do as good a job running the company and who may not so open minded or supportive of our issues – therefore I think it is in our interest to show some support.

Another reason is that frankly, I'm fed up with people taking cheap shots at NB Power and the people associated with it. These cheap shots reflect poorly on every one of us, and I for one, don't take that very well.

The IBEW and the Electricity Sector Council

Last week I was asked by the IBEW International Office to participate in an Electricity Sector Council (http://www.brightfutures.ca/ ) regional consultation focused on best practices to recruit new employees into the electricity industry.

The Electricity Sector Council (ESC), an independent not-for-profit organization supported by the Government of Canada with support from industry stakeholders, was created in 2005 in response to rising concern about the sustainability of a strong and skilled electricity and renewable energies workforce in Canada. The Council develops sector based initiatives which strengthen the ability of stakeholders in the Canadian electricity industry to meet current and future needs for a skilled, safety focused, and internationally competitive workforce.

As a major stakeholder in the electricity sector, the IBEW is a major participant in many of the ESC activities.

In the past I have also participated as a member of the ESC “Succession Planning” committee, which provided input on the development of tools that can be used to identify and prepare workers to move into positions in our industry that require a level of previous “hands on” experience and/or new skills in order to be successful.

There is a growing understanding that our industry will be crippled if we don’t recruit new workers or have people ready to move into senior and specialized roles as older workers retire. Many times in the past, succession planning and strategic recruitment activities have only been considered necessary for management and senior leadership positions, but everyone in our industry is starting to recognize that it is just as important to start planning for jobs that require a great deal of specialized experience, like power plant operators, lineworkers and maintenance technicians and tradesworkers to name just a few.

This consultation session was held in Halifax and was attended by representatives from some of the utilities in Atlantic Canada as well as representatives from the provincial governments and training institutions. New Brunswick was well represented, and in addition to myself, the consultation was also attended by Suzanne Desrosiers, the Chief Human Resources Officer for NB Power Transmission, Distribution & Customer Service, Shelley Rinehart from the New Brunswick Department of Energy and Ken Jordan from the NB Apprenticeship Branch of Post-secondary Education and Labour. By the way, Suzanne also chairs the ESC “PLT” committee (http://www.brightfutures.ca/projects/Powerline%20Technician.html) which is looking at the specific issues required to deal with a growing shortage of lineworkers in Canada and North America.

I thought the all-day session was productive – the topics covered were designed to draw out the experiences and best practices that we are going to need to insure the future of our industry. Although it can be hard for me to give a up the better part of two days in order participate in something like this, I was glad to be there since I was the only union representative at this particular session, and it is important that someone is there from the IBEW so we can influence industry and government policy decisions as they are being developed.


(Pictured, top to bottom, left to right: Ross Galbraith, NB Depatrment of Apprenticeship and Certification's Rejean Gagne and Ken Jordan, NS Deptartment of Labour's Dianne Gordon, ESC CEO Katherine Cottingham, ESC staff member Kevin Joseph, NB Power's Suzanne Desrosiers, NB Department of Energy's Shelley Rinehart)

Looking for a New Year's Resolution?

It's traditional that many people make resolutions at the start of the New Year. Experts who coach people on changing behavior say that's it's often beneficial to start small, with some manageable, measurable changes, and to make a specific concrete resolution with a defined action (for example "I'm going to eat some fresh fruits and vegetables every day") rather than resolutions that don't have a specific plan and are broad and non-specific ("I'm going to lose weight.")

Some easy resolutions that we should all adopt are contained in the IBEW International President Ed Hill's "State of our Union: Utilities" in which he talks to us of a path we can take to build a brighter future for our industry and the Brotherhood. If you haven't already seen this interesting video, I urge you to take a look at:

http://www.ibew.org/sou-cbs/index.asp

After you have a chance to watch it, think about Preident Hill's message, and ask yourself what you can do to help insure your future, and the future for your co-workers, and future co-workers. Although President Hill delivered the "State of our Union" last spring, with the economy where it is today , his message is more important, and of more value, than ever.

Best wishes, and I hope you all have a healthy and prosperous 2009!