4000 CLEARPOOL CR. ● MEMPHIS, TN 38118

PHONE (901) 363-1563 ● FAX (901) 363-3289

NEWSLETTER

March, 2003

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OFFICERS

Business Manager ....................................................................         Rick Thompson

Financial Secretary/Asst. Business Manager ...........................        Jonnie Dawson

Asst. Business Manager ...........................................................         Chuck Laminack

President ..................................................................................          J. D. Cox

Vice-President ...........................................................................        Steve Hendren

Treasurer ..................................................................................         Sandra Henderson

Recording Secretary ..................................................................        Thelma Boyd

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Bill Hawkins   .....         Electric                                                Marcellus Pruitt.........      Gas

James Moon...........    Electric                                                Scheryl Williams.......       Gas

Trent Ward.............     General Services                                Paul Lundy................       Water

IBEW LOCAL 1288 ON THE MOVE

From Rick Thompson, Business Manger

We welcome our members to the Union’s new informational highway, NEWS DELIVERY SYSTEM.  There is nothing more dangerous than an “uninformed Union Member.”   That is why we have taken this measure to insure our members that they will receive the most up-to-date information regarding Union issues, false accusations and other pertinent Union related activity.   We can not and will not allow false statements or misleading comments to infiltrate this Union membership!

Many issues that threaten your job security, including outside contractors, are being fought on a daily basis, to protect you.  Remember, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and we must stand together AS ONE to survive.

YOUR UNION OFFICE HAS CHANGED  – TO SERVE YOU BETTER

• WEB SITE – IBEWLOCAL1288.COM has become a highly used web site. The site appears to average a little over 1 member per month logging on. There is no way to determine if some members are logging on more than once a month, or if some of our traffic is MLGW, City Council or the general public. However, the traffic level shows that we are a very active site. To date, we have had 17,355 hits.   

• AUTOMATIC PHONE SYSTEM - We hope you are using our automatic phone system to keep up with future membership meetings and other meetings that affect you, as an MLGW Employee. To find out about upcoming events and/or Union News; call the Union Hall (363-1563) after 5 p.m. and you will be instructed to press 6 for a schedule of upcoming meetings or press 7 for Union news.

•  COMPUTERIZED AUTO PHONE DIALING SYSTEM – We now have the capability of dialing your home with a pre-recorded message. We are able to keep you abreast of any pertinent information. This system is only as good as the telephone number we have on file at the Union office. If we don’t have a current telephone number on you, or if you are not sure, please call the Union office, 363-1563 and leave your correct phone number. 

• RESEARCH CENTER – Our new Research Center for IBEW Members is open during normal business hours, Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. til 5 p.m. and on the General Membership and Stewards meeting nights. The Research Center is available to you to do any research, whether it is schooling, grievances or logging on-to the internet. Please stop by and visit this new Research Center the next time you are at the Union Hall.

• OPEN DOOR POLICY - The Union Leadership has had good success with its Open Door Policy. We meet with individual members or groups, in the evenings or weekends. We hope that you or your area has been included. If you have not, and would like to meet with us, please call the Union Hall and we will be glad to arrange a meeting with you or your area, at your convenience. We are striving to become more accessible to you, so that we may be able to serve you better.

• GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENTS - We have been successful in settling grievances with MLGW. Employees are taking personal responsibility for their actions. I encourage each member to continue to take Company Policies and the Memorandum of Understanding seriously.

• RENOVATION OF THE UNION HALL  - The Meeting Hall has a brand new look. This is something you must see for yourself.

We are in the process of adding “Group Wise” to our communication system. We will be able to communicate via e-mail. Please make sure we have your e-mail address. We can not communicate with you unless we have correct addresses and numbers. When you submit a change to MLGW, we do not automatically get that information. YOU MUST contact the Union office with any change. Please contact Brenda at 363-1563 or Ibewbrenda@bellsouth.net, or fax us at 3633289. 

We truly appreciate all member participation, and we are pleased with the increase in Union membership.  If you know of any non-union members, please encourage them to sign up and become an active member of YOUR UNION – IBEW LOCAL 1288!

COPE

“Committee On Political Education”

The IBEW, thru COPE, seeks to involve Union Members and their families in the Democratic process to elect officials, at all levels of Government, who understands the needs of working people. 

This Local Union is encouraging all our members to participate in the COPE Fund,   through Payroll Deduction. YOU, as an IBEW Local 1288 Member and MLGW Employee, need to understand just how important it is to support those candidates that have this Union’s best interest at heart.

You need to know how important the Memphis City Council is to MLGW employees. This is what the Memphis City Council APPROVES for MLGW:

1. Memphis City Council would have to approve the sale of Memphis Light, Gas                       

                & Water

2. The President of Memphis Light Gas and Water

3. Memphis Light Gas and Water Board of Commissioners

4. Sr. Vice President, CFO & Secretary-Treasurer

5. Any changes to our Pension System

6. The Memphis Light Gas and Water Budget

7. Rate Changes in our Utility Bills

8. Let us emphasize that The Memphis Council MUST approve this Union’s  

     Contract!  (Memorandum of Understanding)

9. They also oversee the Impasse Procedure

     (if we cannot reach agreement in negotiations)

CONTRACTING

Contracting/Retirees!   This is a serious issue facing all of us here at MLGW.

Folks, this is serious business and we need your support, if we are to stop this INTERNAL BUYOUT (Contractors) from taking our jobs. We must band together as Union Brothers and Sisters to fight this injustice. I think we all feel that Memphis Light Gas and Water is the Best Company in America to work for.  But, just as this Union fought the External Buyout of MLGW as a whole, we must also fight Contracting/Retirees!

UNION WORKERS HAVE BETTER BENEFITS

Union workers are more likely than their nonunion counterparts to receive health care and pension benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In 1999, 73 percent of union workers in medium and large establishments had medical care benefits, compared with only 51 percent of nonunion workers. Union workers are also more likely to have retirement and short-term disability benefits.

UNION WORKERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
HEALTH AND PENSION BENEFITS, 1999

As the chart illustrates, 79% of union workers have pension plans versus 44 percent of nonunion workers. Seventy percent of union workers have defined-benefit retirement coverage, compared with 16 percent of nonunion workers. Defined-benefit plans are federally insured and provide a guaranteed monthly pension amount. They are better for workers than defined-contribution plans, in which the benefit amount depends on how well the underlying investments perform.

Note: Defined benefit pensions are a subset of all pensions.  Disability refers to short-term disability benefits.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in Private Industry, 1999, USDL:01-473, December 19, 2001. 

UNION WORKERS HAVE GREATER JOB STABILITY

Although 50 percent of union workers have been with their current employers for at least 10 years, only 32 percent of nonunion workers can make the same claim. Union workers have greater job stability, in part because they are more satisfied with their jobs, receive better pay, have better benefits and have access to fair grievance procedures. Even more important, most collective bargaining agreements protect union members from unjust discharge. Nonunion workers are "employees at will" who can be fired at any time for any reason - or for no reason.

Percentage of Workers with the Same Employer for 10 Years or More, 1998

Source: AFL-CIO analysis of the Current Population Survey

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LG & W CREDIT UNION BOARD

It’s time for us to elect three (3) IBEW members to the MLGW Credit Union Board.  This Local Union endorsed, J. D. Cox, Warren Gaines, and Michael Jones.  These young men have seniority ranging from 13 to 18 years of service.  Each one of them is still serving this Union untiringly, as stewards and Union officials.  They bring fresh ideas to the table, and they have proven themselves worthy.  These individuals are capable of absorbing the wealth of knowledge that is at their disposal.

As Business Manager, I personally solicit your vote for J. D. Cox, Warren Gaines and Michael Jones.   The Credit Union election will be held Sunday, May 4, 2003 at Ridgeway High School at 2:00 p.m.

YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO VOTE and TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ONE OF THE MANY CASH PRIZES TO BE GIVEN AWAY.

Thelma Boyd

The GILLESPIE-ARMMER AWARD was established, "... for the sole purpose of recognizing those individuals who have given unselfishly of themselves toward the betterment of the Local Union....", Sister Thelma R. Boyd, is unquestionably a worthy recipient!

Thelma came to work at MLGW in December 1968, and she joined the Union in January, 1970.  She has never been just a "dues paying" member, she has served this Local Union diligently, from day one.

Thelma was elected to the position of Recording Secretary in 1990, a position she still holds. She has served on practically every committee that required Union representation. She has represented this Union on both a Local and National level. Anything that is asked of her, for the good of the Union, her response is always, okay! Her reputation as an individual as well as a Union member is impeccable. Her reputation speaks not only for her, most importantly,  it speaks for IBEW Local 1288.