FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT CRAIG A. PINKHAM

BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

I hope you and your families are staying safe and well. Although we cannot believe that we have reached the one-year mark into this pandemic, I am not surprised at how successful our entire membership has been under such challenging times.

First, I want to salute all of our members for answering the call during this tough winter season. Severe holiday storms, record snowfalls, and Nor’easters caused emergencies and outages across our region. But every time, Local 369 members stepped up to restore the power and assist our customers, on the ground and in our call centers. Together, we kept thousands of families safe and warm throughout the winter. Thank you for your dedicated service to our customers and our communities.

There are promising signs on the horizon regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan, utility workers are now eligible for vaccinations. These vaccines are the best way for us to keep our families and communities safe from the virus. While it may take some time for vaccines to become available due to limited supply, we strongly encourage all of our eligible members to get the vaccine as soon as

you can.

It remains important for all of us to do our part to stop the spread of the virus. Most of our members, colleagues, friends, and family have not yet received the vaccine — it is critical that we continue following safety protocols, including wearing a mask, social distancing, and washing our hands frequently. To keep everyone safe, we postponed our Regular Membership Meetings during the winter, and we will be resuming outdoor meetings at the end of March once the weather gets warmer.

As we put 2020 behind us, the new year has also brought exciting challenges for Local 369. Since the start of 2021, Local 369 has successfully negotiated six (6) new collective bargaining agreements. While this pandemic has all but eliminated in-person bargaining sessions, your bargaining committees continue to negotiate the best utility contracts in the country. We have adjusted very well to the “new normal” of Zoom and Teams meetings and will use our experience and expertise to deliver for the members of the five (5) remaining contracts that expire in 2021.

There’s also good news for workers at the national level. President Biden has appointed Boston’s own Mayor Marty Walsh to be U.S. Secretary of Labor. Mayor Walsh has been a strong champion for working families throughout his entire career, and he will be the first union member to lead the Department of Labor in over 50 years. We are proud to see him continue standing up for workers in Washington.

We are also continuing to hold politicians accountable at all levels of government. Together with workers across the country, we are pushing Congress to pass a Workers First Agenda to protect our jobs, our benefits, and our rights to organize. At the same time, we are advocating for state legislatures to recognize utility workers as first responders, so our members can get better access, resources, and recognition during emergencies. To add your voice in support, please see page 8 of this issue.

This winter, we showed that when we work together, nothing can stop us. I look forward to standing alongside each one of you in the weeks and months ahead, to keep our union strong.

Remember, it is never about the money…..because it is ALWAYS about the money!

Craig A. Pinkham

President

UWUA Local 369