Business Manager Tony Sapienza
Members of IBEW Local 1837 at WGME-TV (CBS 13) gathered near the television station in Portland in early December for an informational picket. The members, which include Photographers, News Producers, Directors, News Editors, Assignment Editors, Operating Technicians, Maintenance Engineers, and Creative Producers, are fighting for better pay and working conditions in their contract negotiations with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Unit meetings for IBEW Local 1837 are back after a brief break. Members had voted in late spring or early summer to temporarily suspend their meetings during the traditional summer vacation months. While most begin in September, Units 6 and 7 will start in October.
The New Hampshire AFL-CIO is once again offering the Linda Horan Scholarship Program for the 2024-2025 academic year, which aims to address the rising costs of higher education while honoring the memory of Sister Linda Horan, a dedicated member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and former Chair of the Scholarship Committee. Sister Linda, who battled cancer and passed away in 2016, had a profound commitment to supporting the next generation and creating opportunities for their educational pursuits.
Following a vote by the members, unit meetings in IBEW Local 1837 are temporarily suspended for the 2024 summer season.
To see the Summer 2024 Schedule: click here
IBEW Local 1837 members at Versant ratified a 3-year collective bargaining agreement in early July after federal mediation was brought in to help the Union and the Company bridge remaining gaps during negotiations. The contract includes significant improvements to wages, benefits, working conditions, and a key victory in protecting job security.
All classifications will see general wage increases of 4% in 2025, 3% in 2026, and 3% in 2027. In addition, several positions will see market adjustments.
IBEW Local 1837 member Greg Middleton, a first-class lineworker at Versant Power, has been selected as the 2024 Shop Steward of the Year by a special committee at the Maine AFL-CIO. Middleton received his award at the upcoming COPE Convention Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 27, in Auburn. He was nominated for the award by members of IBEW Local 1837.
There’s a familiar and friendly face serving constituents in Augusta. South Portland voters elected IBEW Local 1837 member Matthew Beck to represent them in the Maine House of Representatives for District 122.
IBEW Local 1837 was honored at the 17th Annual National Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee (LAMPAC) conference in Washington, D.C., for its successful efforts in protecting hundreds of union utility jobs in Maine.
In March, Assistant Business Manager, Renee Gilman, accepted the Edwin D. Hill Award, on behalf of the union. The award is named after the former IBEW International President who co-founded LAMPAC with the Edison Electrical Institute in 2007.
IBEW Local 1837 members and retirees played a crucial role in defeating the two pieces of harmful, anti-union legislation - one in the New Hampshire House and one in the New Hampshire Senate.
Three members of IBEW Local 1837 at WGME in Portland have been nominated for a New England Emmy Award in the category of "Best Newscast (Small Market)."
The nominations recognize the outstanding journalism work of News Producer and Steward Alison Murtagh, Chief News Producer Ted Homer, and Director Ethan Crooker, following the tragic mass shooting in Lewiston last October.
