Progress made with union heads, say protesting electrical workers

Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local say they've made some progress since beginning a protest near St. John's today.

Members blocked the local union office on the Holyrood Access Road, saying union management hasn't been forthcoming with information about financials or work agreement.

And on Monday, approximately 15 union members received letters disqualifying them from running in an upcoming election of officers, said IBEW Local 2330 member Kevin Slaney.

The letters outlined a number of accusations against the would-be candidates, he said.

"It's not good any time when members have to take action against their own union because they're not being treated fairly, and with respect and dignity," he told the St. John's Morning Show Tuesday.

Just before noon, six 2330 members went into the IBEW building to have a discussion with the local's president, Ann Geehan. They brought a list of demands which included that members be presented with copies of the quarterly financial reports and annual financial audits.

Inside, the six say they spoke with IBEW's international vice-president Thomas Reid, who determined that all disqualified candidates would be allowed to run in the upcoming election.

"Our international vice president stated that [the accusations] were dropped, so our run-off election will go with the members that were originally supposed to go in the run-off election," said union member Ron Thomas.

"The run-off election will happen as if this never happened."

No date has been set for that election but the process is ongoing.

Jon Baker, the Local 2330 business manager, said that while he hadn't received a letter disqualifying him from the upcoming election, he heard others in the union have. But Baker, who was the target of the some of the complaints from protestors, said he played no role in the disqualifications or the decision to reinstate the candidates.

"I don't have any part in the decision-making process," Baker said.

"At the end of the day, the international office holds the ultimate authority, so whatever their decision is, it stands and it's final."

The RCMP had arrived at the protest by late morning, but there were no reports of issues.

'As we know, we're pretty much broke'

Slaney was among the union members blocking the local IBEW college and office.

He said that members have been unable to get adequate information, including financial reports and a recent financial audit, from the union, and are left with no idea of its financial situation.

"We just come through three or four mega projects now and as far as we know, we're pretty much broke," Slaney said.

"There could be lots of money there but without somebody telling us, giving us an actual financial report, we don't know."

IBEW Local 2330 president Ann Geehan said there has been no "out-of-the-ordinary" spending by the union when a member participating in the protest asked her for a "real meeting where our bills are presented as per our constitution, and our receipts are presented as per our constitution."

Geehan declined CBC's request for an interview.

Baker said that financial information, including audits, is available to union members.

"Our audit is available for any of our members to see at any time, they just have to make an appointment," he said.

"I've been meeting with people off and on now for a number of weeks about this issue."

Slaney also said that MOUs and agreements are being signed by business managers without being brought to board members first.

"These agreements and MOUs and everything else have to come back to the membership to be voted on, and that's not happening."

But Baker said individual MOUs don't have to be voted on by the union and are decided based on the collective agreement, which is voted on and ratified by union members.

His job is to get business for the union members, Baker said, which has been harder during a tough time in the province's economy.

"Our hiring practices are followed, as per our collective agreement," he said.

"When I chase work, when I talk to contractors in negotiating work, I have to go with the collective agreement."

'We don't know if there's anything wrong'

The protestors hope that they can get the international union involved at the national level, in order to get more information and bring some clarity to the situation, Slaney said.

"We don't know if there's anything wrong and we're not really saying that there's anything wrong," he said.

"But unless we see what's going on we don't know for sure."

Thomas said today's progress would help the union bounce back from the upheaval.

"This is something that was dividing our local, and this is a major hurdle in bringing our union back to a real, democratic, constitution-following union."

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