Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. could have a union soon. þþThe International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which has spent months trying to organize the utility’s workers, says it plans to petition the National Labor Relations Board for a vote within the next two weeks. þþ’’We expect to be filed by the 25th of January,’’ said Michael J. Flanagan, international representative for the IBEW. þþIn anticipation of the filing, the union is planning an eight-hour training session for workers on Jan. 25. þþIt’s a session on what workers might face next from RG&E, Flanagan said. þþ’’They (the employer) always rely on that they can sweet-talk people out of it and that they can put their arm around them and say, ‘Come on. You’ve been with us 20 years, 25, 30. We’ll do better.’ ‘’ þþWorkers would likely vote within six weeks of the petition filing, Flanagan said. þþMore than 50 percent of eligible RG&E workers have already signed union authorization cards, according to the IBEW. þþ’’They became concerned when they were sold to Energy East,’’ Flanagan said. ‘’They’re concerned for job security and they’re concerned for their benefit levels.’’ þþThe union hoped to have cards from 70 to 75 percent of eligible workers by now, but it needed only 30 percent to petition for a vote. þþThe union estimates that 1,400 of RG&E’s 2,000 workers can be represented but is likely to petition the board on behalf of about 800 workers, according to job classification. It wants to first organize in areas of the utility where it feels it has enough support to win a vote. þþRG&E has never had a union and is the only major utility in New York state without one. The last organizing effort, in 1998, failed when workers voted 282 to 57 against a union. þþThe utility maintains that the decision is the workers’. þþ’’Ultimately, it’s a decision that’s up to employees,’’ said Mike Power, spokesman for RG&E. þþIt’s clear that the utility would prefer not to have a union. ‘’Our company philosophy toward labor unions remains -- RG&E is a union-free company and wants to stay that way,’’ reads an internal memo sent to workers Nov. 4 and obtained by the Democrat and Chronicle. þþPower confirmed that RG&E has communicated that philosophy to employees. þ
