Members Approve New 4-Year Contract at Brookfield

February 22, 2023 - IBEW 1837 members at Brookfield have ratified a new 4-year contract agreement with annual pay increases for every member and additional vacation time for most employees. Voting took place on February 1 at multiple locations. The new agreement runs through February 28, 2027.

Members will receive an $8,000 ratification bonus and annual pay increases of 3%, 3.25%, 3.25% and 3.25%. The minimum straight-time call-out was increased to five hours and the contract establishes a two-hour straight-time call-out for solving issues over the phone after hours. Production Clerks and Production Assistants received a wage adjustment and progression pay was increased to $1 every six months, up from 50 cents every six months.

Employees with more than 30 years’ experience make up nearly half of the membership and they will receive an additional week of vacation. Employees will get three weeks of vacation after three years. New employees will no longer be required to wait three months to start accruing vacation or take paid holidays. Sick days are increased from six to eight per year and may be used in 4-hour increments for medical appointments.

“Before negotiations started, we talked to members at each location and the overarching themes were that we had to attract new people, keep the people that we have, and reward those who have been here a long time,” said IBEW 1837 Assistant Business Manager Renee Gilman. “That’s what we were trying to do, and we think we were able to do that.”

Sister Gilman said that they also heard that members wanted a 4-year contract for the security, which they were able to achieve. She expressed her thanks to the Union Negotiating Team for doing a “wonderful job.” She and IBEW 1837 Business Manager Tony Sapienza were joined by members Ed Goodale, Jim Pulkkinen, Josh Salisbury – one from each river at Brookfield.

IBEW Local #1837 represents 29 Brookfield hydroelectric asset employees in Maine. According the Company’s website, Brookfield Renewable “operates one of the world’s largest publicly traded, pure-play renewable power platforms.” Their portfolio consists of hydroelectric, wind, solar and storage facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.