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Hydro workers strike tonight

By: Staff Writer

2/10/2009 4:13 PM | Comments: 23

WINNIPEG - A picket line will be up around Manitoba Hydro's utility services headquarters at 35 Sutherland Avenue tonight.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents 3,000 Manitoba Hydro employees, has called for a strike at 6 p.m. after conciliation talks broke off earlier today.

Local 2034 IBEW represents members in more than 120 job classifications, including metering technicians, building operators, store keepers, truck drivers, mechanics, welders and lab technicians.

According to the union’s website, picket lines will be set up at most Manitoba Hydro facilities across the province, including nine locations in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Hydro was attempting to recertify managers to cover some union jobs, but a utility spokesman said there is no way the managers could provide the same level of service as the union members.

This would be the first strike at Manitoba Hydro in Local 2034’s 50-year history.

Manitoba Hydro president Bob Brennan circulated an e-mail to utility employees this afternoon, stating the IBEW will be going out on strike at 6 p.m. and thanking non-striking employees for their co-operation.

"I respect the rights of IBEW and its members to take this action," Brennan states in his e-mail to employees. "I remain hopeful that the strike will be short."

It’s possible that the strike could extend to a second union involved in contract negotiations. A spokesman for Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Local 681, which represents the utilities natural gas operations, said its 235 members will not cross an IBEW picket line.

Jim Dixon, a CEP national representative, said his union expects to resume negotiations with Manitoba Hydro on Monday but added that if the utility instructs CEP members to cross the IBEW picket line the CEP members will also go out on strike.

Dixon said CEP members share a common works yard with the IBEW members, where their trucks, equipment and tools are located. However, he said that CEP is making arrangements with the utility so that CEP members can be dispatched from their homes without having to cross the IBEW picket line.

"We are in a legal strike position," Dixon said. "If Hydro doesn’t want to bargain with us on Monday, we told them to tell us now and we’ll go out on strike too."

A spokesman for CUPE Local 998, which is also in bargaining with Hydro, could not be reached for comment.

city.desk@freepress.mb.ca

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23 Commentscomment icon

Winniethepeg - maybe you need more bran in your diet??? Try it!!

My brother is a member of IBEW 2034. His job gets extremely hard when its freezing cold and he has to replace a transformer, or fix a downed line.

To Stormed_Norm, Mike, and dyachison. Who comes to help you in the winter when your power goes out? Without hydro workers you and your family would be freezing! Show some respect.

I thought Manitoba Hydro's headquarters were downtown now, not at 35 Sutherland

@Winniethepeg:

Are you kidding? I don't know who you've encountered, but are you sure we're talking about the same utility? I've had nothing but excellent service all around -- from the folks at customer service to the people who came to change out our transformers and check my line and those that came to stop a gas leak for me. I think they deserve a good salary as they have a really tough job. Where would we be without them in the winter?

This is so obviously politically motivated by a very right wing union..I hope Premier Elect Selinger stands his ground and gets a fair agreement.....Selinger is nobodys boy and I think will not be intimidated by any paper tiger union. Power to balance and fairness and sober thought.

Manitoba Hydro offered the members of IBEW a total of 3.0% over four years. MPI (an organization that makes no money for the government) received a LOT more than that.

Fair? I dont think so.

Can I go work for them? Or maybe they should go work for Mcminimum wage and see what a real job is all about. Jacqueline, how can you compare BC to Northern Manitoba? Go compare the cost of living and see if you can afford a house on the wages they get paid. Keep them on strike for awhile, maybe they will smarten up after the bank accounts get drained abit.

These employees salaries equal $170 Million a year combined. Maybe the reason Brennan doesn't want to make a deal is because Hydro can't afford to pay them. $170 Million is a lot of money and it's going to hurt the economy , big time. I hope the picket for a long time till they get what they deserve.

I agree with Jacqueline completly. Not only B.C. Hydro, but alberta and sask come here on a semi-regular basis to raid employees and pay them better than they get here. Seems parity studies only seem to M.L A.'S and Judges for some reason.

I live in rural Manitoba and my transformer blew when it was -30C. They had a new one up and I had the heat back on in 2 hours. We don't know how good we have it. Move to another province and try to get that kind of service.

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