In this Wednesday, Dec. 12 2012 photo, Taneshia Wright, of Manhattan, fills out a job application during a job fair in New York. Economists forecast that employers added 155,000 jobs in December, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be slightly higher than November's 148,000. The unemployment rate is projected to remain at 7.7 percent. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 12 2012 photo, Taneshia Wright, of Manhattan, fills out a job application during a job fair in New York. Economists forecast that employers added 155,000 jobs in December, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be slightly higher than November's 148,000. The unemployment rate is projected to remain at 7.7 percent. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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FILE - In this Feb 21, 2012, file photo, a customer shops at Lowe's in New York. Lowe's said Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, its third-quarter net income surged 76 percent, helped by fewer charges and higher revenue. Its shares rose 5 percent in early premarket trading Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
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FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2012, file photo, James Dresch of MND Partners Inc. works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Wall Street also appeared headed for gains on the open Wednesday Nov. 14, 2012 as renewed efforts got under way in Washington to resolve the impending "fiscal cliff." (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams, File)
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FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, file photo, a man walks past a Wells Fargo location in Philadelphia. Wells Fargo, the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, says it earned a record $4.9 billion in the fourth quarter, up 25 percent from the same period a year before. Revenue rose 7 percent, to $21.9 billion, beating the $21.3 billion expected by analysts polled by FactSet. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
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FILE - In this March 15, 2012 photo, a trader works in the Goldman Sachs booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Goldman Sachs announced Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 that its earnings almost tripled in the fourth quarter as investment banking revenues surged. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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This undated image provide by Wendy's shows the fast food company's new logo. Wendy's reported fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, that topped Wall Street estimates but a 2 percent rise in revenue came up short of expectations. It reaffirmed its earnings guidance for fiscal 2013. (AP Photo/Wendy's)
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FILE - In this May 11, 2012 file photo, people stand in the lobby of JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York. JPMorgan Chase reported a 55 percent jump in earnings for the last three months of 2012 as mortgage fees and other income surged. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
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FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 file photo, an advertisement in the classified section of the Boston Herald newspaper calls attention to possible employment opportunities in Walpole, Mass. Economists forecast that employers added 155,000 jobs in December, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be slightly higher than November's 148,000. The unemployment rate is projected to remain at 7.7 percent. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 12 2012 photo, Taneshia Wright, of Manhattan, fills out a job application during a job fair in New York. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, a steady gain that shows hiring held up during the tense negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff. The solid job growth wasn’t enough to push down the unemployment rate, which remained 7.8 percent last month, the Labor Department said Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The rate for November was revised up from an initially reported 7.7 percent. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Workers approve new contract with CL&P
BERLIN, Conn. (
AP) — Connecticut Light & Power and the union that represents about 1,100 workers reached a contract agreement Thursday that proposes a wage increase of about 11 percent over four years.
Frank Cirillo, a business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said the deal was narrowly approved by 64 votes. He said while he's glad the contract was accepted, there is lingering anger over staffing issues the union has blamed for hindering storm restoration efforts and overtaxing workers. CL&P is a unit of Northeast Utilities.
CL&P President and COO William Herdegen said in a statement Thursday night the contract "is good news" for employees and customers.
"We were committed to maintaining the comprehensive benefits offered by CL&P while improving service and holding the line on rising costs for our customers."
The company said the contract also allows new schedules to meet service demands while reducing unplanned call-ins of off-duty workers. The union has said low staffing has meant workers have to be put on stand-by too often.
CL&P drew criticism from regulators, elected officials and some of its 1.2 million customers over slow response to restoring power following the two powerful storms in 2011. The union blames staff cuts, but CL&P said it brought in extra workers from out of state to help restore power.
Cirillo, business manager of Local 420, and John Fernandes, business manager of Local 457, issued a joint statement saying the union believes executive salaries and spending on out-of-state storm contractors has contributed to CL&P's costs. The statement said the union is committed to working with elected officials and state regulators to ensure the company provides what the IBEW considers adequate staffing "to bring safe and reliable power to Connecticut ratepayers."
Cirillo said earlier this week that the union is barred by federal law from striking over staffing issues. The union represents about 400 linemen and has said CL&P hasn't filled 18 lineman vacancies.
Workers were without a contract since June, and rejected one in October.
Tags:
cl&p, international brotherhood of electrical workers, storm, john fernandes, united states, culture_politics, connecticut, contract, union, workers, blame, official, business manager, staffing issues, coo william herdegen, storm restoration efforts
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