Union workers at Duke Energy in Bloomington and around Indiana may go on strike soon if renewed negotiations don’t succeed.
The union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said the company is lagging behind competitors on wages and insurance and is refusing to negotiate on the latter. The company says its goal is to reach a “mutually beneficial agreement.”
“We have great respect for all our employees and the important work they perform. In light of the vote by the union, we are in communications with union leadership about resuming negotiations,” Duke Energy said in a statement.
A local IBEW steward estimated the union represents around 30 Duke workers in and around Bloomington. Statewide, it has almost 1,000. The company said it has contingencies to keep service running in case of a work stoppage.
The company is in the third round of negotiations with the IBEW. It’s submitted two proposals to the union so far. Workers overwhelmingly voted against both.
If the next negotiations fail, the union could be headed toward a strike.
Union-Duke negotiations
The last contract Duke submitted contained several wage increases over the next couple years:
It also included several other changes. But Christopher Wilson, IBEW Local 1393’s business manager and financial secretary, said the most important issues left out of that contract were health insurance and 401ks.
Wilson said the company has refused to negotiate those points.
“We’ve got a $98 billion company who’s self insured, who’s not even willing to come off $25 off insurance premiums,” Wilson said.
Matthew Burks, an IBEW steward and Duke worker in Bloomington, paid around $350 in copays for his first child around a decade ago with the company’s insurance. He said those benefits started to erode, to the point where premiums cost $10,000 now.
He said he’s seen longtime workers — people who have worked up to 30 years at Duke — leave the company for other opportunities. That turnover, he said, has hurt the company by removing experienced workers who’d be able to help newer workers and apprentices learn the ropes.
“Instead of having somebody that’s been driving for 20 years teaching a 16-year-old how to drive, now you’ve got the 17-year-old teaching them,” Burks said.
Next steps for Duke and IBEW
IBEW and Duke will next meet on July 16 to continue negotiations. Wilson said he’s not overly optimistic on the next round’s chance of success. If it fails, the union will likely try to strike.
“The only thing we have left to do is meet with the company,” Wilson said. “If they’re not willing to improve the package, then we will proceed on to a strike and be hitting the bricks.”
The key things they’re looking for are higher wage increases and insurance benefits. Wilson said they’d gladly move down on wages if the company moves on insurance.
When The Herald-Times brought the union’s allegation to Duke Energy, the company referred to its initial statement.
Burks also said he doesn’t believe the company has been bargaining in good faith. When he started out, he said, becoming a Duke lineman or getting employed with the company was the “job to have.” But he said it’s not that way anymore.
“I feel like when we’re asking for not much, that I’m cautiously optimistic,” Burks said. “But so far, I’ve been let down every single time.”
Contact Andrew Miller at AMiller@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington Duke Energy union workers could strike if new negotiations fail
Reporting by Andrew Miller, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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