Union Leadership Disputes Dominion Statement on Lockout

BRIDGEPORT, WV — Locked out local union members today gathered at the entrance to Dominion Transmission’s Leidy facility, this in the wake of the company-imposed lockout across six states.

Dominion Transmission and Dominion Hope locked out the employees just after midnight, affecting more than 900 employees who are members of United Gas Workers Union Local 69. The membership includes some 50 to 60 employees in the Leidy Field area.

Earlier today the company issued a release stating it took action to “avoid labor uncertainty.” The companies did so, the statement said, because union leadership refused to take a tentative contract agreement to union members for a vote. That charge was refuted in a later statement from the union, reprinted below:
September 7, 2016
Dear Union Brothers and Sisters:
As you know, the Company locked all of us out of our jobs and sent around a letter stating why it did that. That letter is full of errors and outright false statements.

We met with the Company on July 15, 2016. After 15 minutes, Company walked out and it cancelled 4 other meetings set for later in July. We offered 8 more dates in August and the Company refused every one and also refused to agree to allow the Federal Mediator to attend.
The Union did not renege on the August 26, 2016 “tentative agreement”. That document came out of a meeting on August 26 in Cleveland with National Union representatives, the Local 69 President and 3 Company representatives. All that was agreed to was that the Local 69 President agreed to recommend to the Executive Board that it favorably consider the “tentative agreement” but the Company was clearly told that the Union’s bylaws had to be followed. Pat Branch, the Company chief negotiator, admitted more than once that he was told this. He knew that the Representative Council had to vote on the agreement and no promise was made to the Company as to how the Executive Board or Representative Council would vote. In fact, it is improper and probably illegal to make that promise to the Company.

The Company has told the Union from the beginning of negotiations that it wanted to deprive new hires of medical insurance when they retired. The Union told the Company that it could not agree to that because it would create a 2 tier system within our bargaining group. The Union has made and will be making proposals to the Company that will save it more money than the very proposals that the Company wants you to accept.
There was no need for you to be locked out. On September 6, Mr. Branch stated that he was concerned that the Union would strike in the wintertime and that would cause a problem for the Company. On September 6, BEFORE THIS LOCKOUT OCCURRED, the Union WROTE TO THE COMPANY THAT IT WOULD AGREE TO CONSIDER AN ARRANGEMENT NOT TO STRIKE IF THE COMPANY WOULD AGREE NOT TO LOCK YOU OUT. The Union told the Company that since we were set to meet to negotiate on September 8, we could discuss this item at that time. Instead, the Company locked everyone out, even though it agreed with the Federal Mediator to meet on September 8 to see what could be done to avoid a lockout and to reach an agreement.

There was no need for this lockout. The Company said it was worried about a strike. We have NEVER threatened a strike and we stated that we would agree not to strike if the Company would agree not to lock out-the Company response was to be spiteful and lock everyone out.