SOS - Save Our Services 2009

SAVE OUR SERVICES – SOS 2009

BARGAINING POLICY OF
UNITED STEELWORKERS
LOCALS 12775 and 13796
EMPLOYED AT NORTHERN INDIANA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY

WE MAKE THE FOLLOWING COMMITMENTS:

OUR CUSTOMERS – As proud Steelworkers and NIPSCO employees, we have always understood that our responsibility is to provide the public with courteous, dependable gas and electric service – service that starts when a union member takes the call and ends only when a union member completes the job.

OUR COMMUNITIES – As proud Steelworkers and citizens of our communities in Northern Indiana, we have always understood that safe, reliable gas and electric service is fundamental to sustaining our quality of life, economic development, and good jobs for our families, friends and neighbors.

OUR FUTURE – As proud Steelworkers, we have always understood that by our own unity, as well as by supporting the customer and the public, we can provide our families with a decent standard of living and a secure future.

We have acted on these principles time and time again. In 1997, we made a commitment to our customers and the public when we created the “Save Our Services” campaign. Again, in 2002, we followed through on that commitment when we created a coalition with the elected officials throughout Northern Indiana to fight the proposed closing of local service hubs. And in 2003, we reinforced that commitment when we successfully opposed NIPSCO’s efforts to impose new fees on ESP customers. In 2009, the Steelworkers will file as interveners in the NIPSCO rate case to ensure the accountability of NIPSCO and to see that they abide by previous IURC orders in regards to service and staffing.

As we enter 2009, we look ahead to our upcoming negotiations. Keeping our principles in mind, as well as the current state of the economy, and keeping aware of our dual responsibility to the public and to our members, we are determined to:

• Insist that NIPSCO provide the training, equipment and staff to ensure a higher level of safe and reliable gas and electric service, which our customers pay for and deserve.

• Sustain the standard of living of our members and their families; and

• Ensure a sustainable standard of living for current retirees and future retirees.

Our priorities are:

• Safety and Health on the job
The safety of the public and of our members is our primary concern. When either is at risk we are all at risk. We strive for a safer, healthier workplace in concert with the environment and public safety. Nothing underlines our concern for safety more than the loss of our brothers and sisters - good people, struck down in their prime, doing their jobs serving the public. We will insist that our jobs be done in a safe manner that protects us all from the very real inherent hazards in the delivery of gas and electric service.

• Job Security
The duties performed by the majority of our members require high levels of skill. These skills can only be acquired through specialized training and on-the-job experience. Continual reduction of the number of employees in the face of an expanding customer base can only further undermine the reliability of our service. To this end, we will bargain to ensure appropriate staffing levels to maintain a skilled and dedicated workforce.

• Limits on Contracting Out/Outsourcing
We are the face and the voice of the Company and we are customers. When our work is contracted out we suffer a loss of jobs and lose the ability to impact the quality, timeliness, and cost of the services provided to our customers. The IBM outsourcing contract alone cost NIPSCO 1.6 billion dollars, with little to no accountability to our customers for their decisions. We will therefore negotiate to ensure that we continue to perform our work within the NIPSCO territory.

• Successorship Protection
In recent years, our industry has been undergoing a transformation unlike anything in the history of gas and electric utilities. The transformation has been characterized by mergers, sales, and the dismantling of companies that had been in existence for many years. In a number of cases, these events harmed the consumers who depend on the utility involved and the employees who had dedicated their working lives to build the companies and facilities where they worked. To protect against both of these eventualities, we will propose strong protections so that in the event of a sale of any of NIPSCO’s facilities, the jobs of our members are protected and a skilled and dedicated workforce remains to serve the public.

• Wages
Steelworkers at NIPSCO perform work that requires a high degree of skill and is often dangerous. We will insist that the work of our members be rewarded with a standard of living that reflects industry standards and is commensurate with our efforts and dedication to our customers.

• Pensions
Those who went before us negotiated a pension plan that provided for economic security upon their retirement. While we have accepted changes to our pension plan, it remains a priority to protect our pension benefit by resisting the recent risky schemes that have undermined a worker’s ability to have a secure retirement. It is also our intention to improve that security by negotiating retirement improvements for our members and retirees.

• Medical Benefits
Medical costs have been the fastest rising item in the budgets of both active and retired members. We will hold the Company and all parties accountable for the cost efficiency and availability to discuss our medical benefits. We will bargain over medical benefits and not leave those benefits to the whims of corporate management. While we recognize that the real answer to the unconscionable increases in the cost of health care may not be found at the bargaining table, we will strongly resist efforts to transfer these economic risks from a very profitable utility company to workers and retirees.

We are offering to engage in a frank and constructive dialog with the Company on these issues, leading to a fair and equitable contract. We are prepared to stand our ground. In any event, we are confident that our unity, commitment and principles will prevail.

Unanimously adopted by the officers and grievance committees of Locals 12775 and 13796

February 25, 2009

Source: USW Local 12775 website