The union representing 1,200 Connecticut Light & Power employees narrowly embraced a new four-year labor contract with the state’s largest electric utility.
The International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 420 and 457 ratified the new contract late Thursday night by a scant 64 votes with 99 percent of the union workers casting a ballot
This is the second vote since the IBEW contract expired with CL&P last June 1.
In October, more than 95 percent of the union workers rejected a plan that was not endorsed by union leaders. Despite long disputes, particularly over staffing levels, the union workers never struck during the bargaining process.
IBEW leaders endorsed this agreement before members voted on Thursday because Berlin-based CL&P took out points of contention, such as changing job descriptions and changes to work rules for employees that reduce the number of unplanned call-ins. The contract also includes annual raises of 3 percent, 2.75 percent, 2.5 percent, and 3 percent, along with changes to the union health plan.
The new contract does not resolve the union-CL&P dispute over staffing levels, particularly for linemen. CL&P wants to have around 440 linemen while the union wants about 20 percent more. Union officials plan to work with state legislators and regulators to force CL&P to have higher staffing levels.
