International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO

LOCAL UNION 1455

Local 1455 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO, was chartered on August 2, 1945 in the City of St. Louis.  The  Local's current membership is 1,300 and these members are employed by Union Elec­tric Company throughout Missouri and Illinois and by IES Industries in Iowa and embody of three separate labor agreements.  The Local Union office is located at 5570 Fyler Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63139.

 

Local 1455 is affiliated with the Missouri State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Missouri State Conference of IBEW, Missouri State Labor Utility Workers Conference, St. Louis Union Label & Service Trades Council, Illinois State Federation of Labor, Greater Madison County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Illinois Union Label and Service Trades Council, Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council, Iowa Federation of Labor, Iowa State Conference of IBEW, Iowa Utility Workers Conference and Lee County Labor Council.  Local 1455 is also a member of the National Safety Council and the Gateway Chapter Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA).  

 

Early History

                

From 1913 to 1941 Union Electric Company employees were represented by a company-sponsored organization called the Employee Mutual Benefit Association (EMBA).  Administration and activities of the EMBA included:  Labor Contracts, the Employment Bureau, Education, Savings and Loan, the Employee Country Club, the Medical Department, Dental Services, the Women's Auxiliary, Safety Committee, social activities, clubs and athletics.

 

During it's existence, many positive things were accomplished such as:  the eight-hour work day, five days a week; overtime pay; grievance procedures; time-controlled wage increases; medical and dental benefits; pension plan; safety committee and group life insurance.

 

The EMBA lost the authority to act as the collective bargaining unit for the employees of Union Electric in 1941 as a result of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling that the organization violated the Wagner Act of 1935.

 

During that same year, though, the Tri-State Utility Workers Union petitioned for a representation election and won the right to represent Union Electric's office clerical, sales, and technical employees. Tri-State introduced and was successful in securing seniority provisions during their initial contract and this provision controlled employee benefits, vacations, sick leave, promotions via "Lines of Promotion Within Local Districts," demotions and layoffs.  This contract specified that the "Lines of Promotion" were to be developed immediately upon execution of the Labor Agreement.

 

Subsequently, due to unrest within the Tri-State organization and a vigorous organizing effort by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, another representation election was held on May 24, 1946 with the IBEW winning out over Tri-State --- Local 1455 was born.

 

IBEW, Local 1455's first Labor Agreement with Union Electric Company of Missouri and Union Electric Power Company covered the clerical, technical and sales jobs for all departments in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa encompassing some 424 different classifications.  Many of these classifications were new to a labor organization, i.e. Accountant, Auditor, Home Economist, Statistician, Surveyor and Librarian, to name a few.  Local 1455 was clearly the most diversified local in the IBEW.

 

In this first Labor Agreement, Local 1455 was successful in securing contract gains such as:

Local 1455 prospered and grew during these times making gains in contract language and benefits.

 

Automation

                

With the 60's came technology and computerization -- and the benefits and consequences of automation would forever alter the makeup of Local 1455.  Jobs were eliminated and the Union fought hard to secure other UE positions for those workers adversely affected by automation.  Local 1455 also negotiated with the Company for protected wage rates and preferential bidding rights for these workers and such provisions have been improved upon in our subsequent Labor Agreements.

 

Automation also meant good things for Local 1455 in the form of new job opportunities such as Computer Operators, Programmers and Analysts, Key Punch Operators, etc. and these jobs required higher degrees of education and knowledge.

 

During the mid 60's, however, it became evident that some of the Local 1455 certified bargaining unit work was being performed by non-contract employees.  Union Electric management investigated these claims and a committee of Union and Company representatives was established to study the problem.  Union Electric officials concluded that there was no infringement on our work, nevertheless, Local 1455 representatives continued to maintain that there was infringement and requested the NLRB to conduct a unit clarification hearing.  This clarification proceeding, known as NLRB 14-UC-4, resulted in 23 new classifications being brought under the Local 1455 jurisdiction.

 

The Strike

                

Until 1967, Local 1455 had negotiated contracts --- some one-year, some two-year -- without any work stoppages.  But, in 1967, after many months of unsuccessful negotiations, our members went on strike for 32 days.  Then Business Manager John Schroeder, termed our strike effort ". . . a solid union victory in which both sides were able to mediate their differences without total compromise of their objectives,"  and with  ". . . there [being] concessions on both sides." 

 

The issue which held up a final settlement of this labor dispute was the problem of supervisors doing bargaining unit work.  The Union wanted contract language that would allow redress and remedy for Local 1455 members when their work was infringed upon and agreement was finally reached allowing some 4,000 union members to return to work.  We are sincerely grateful to our fellow brothers and sisters in IBEW, Locals 309, 649, and 1439 and IUOE, Local 148 who stood by us during this strike.

 

Mergers and Sell-Offs

 

In 1983 Union Electric Company absorbed their subsidiaries Missouri Power & Light Company and Missouri Edison Company providing Local 1455 the opportunity in 1985 to successfully organize some 70 workers who had been members of the Utility Operators Association and the Employee Association, respectively. Local 1455 successfully negotiated the Regional West Labor Agreement for these new members  adding benefits and obtaining substantial wage increases.

 

Additionally, in 1985, some 13 employees of Union Electric in the Regional West offices located in Columbia, Eldon, Boonville, California, Tipton and Versailles were transferred to Local 1455 from IBEW, Local 2 and were covered under the Regional West Labor Agreement.

 

In 1993 Union Electric Company sold its Iowa operations to IES, Industries leaving 14 Local 1455 members, working in Iowa, without a labor agreement.  We successfully negotiated a new contract with IES, Industries keeping these members under the Local 1455 umbrella.

 

As a result of these mergers, the UE system underwent many changes such as the closing of rural offices and walk-up windows, the establishment of "Call Centers" (routing customer telephone calls to one of three centers located in St. Louis, Jefferson City and Cape Girardeau), the elimination of job classifications and other "downsizing" forays.   Throughout, the Union bargained to protect our members from the detrimental affects of these changes.

 

Currently, Union Electric Company is preparing to merge with Central Illinois Public Service Company (CIPS) which is expected to eliminate some 300 jobs within these utilities. 

 

Equal Opportunity

 

From its inception, Local 1455 has strived to eliminate discriminatory job practices in the workplace.  Early on, Union Electric --- like many other companies during this period in time --- had a General Order that stated it would not hire married women and, if a female employee got married, she must be "separated" (this rule was nullified during World War II).

 

Also, many of the job classifications Local 1455 inherited from the Tri-State Utility Workers Union contract designated "Male Only" as a qualification and we  vigorously attacked this discrimination in our contract negotiations with Union Electric. In 1956 Local 1455 was able to effectuate terms whereby women in the Customer Business Department would be allowed to fill certain job classifications which were formerly "Male Only."

 

Other areas of concern to the female members of Local 1455 included the Missouri "9-hour law" which essentially prohibited women employees from working overtime (the law was later declared unconstitutional ) and also the discrimination against pregnant workers who were forced to "voluntarily resign" or be terminated.   Through our efforts, complaints were filed with the EEOC and these women were awarded monetary settlements and, subsequently, a Maternity Leave Program was implemented at Union Electric.

 

Local 1455 continued to work toward elimination of these "glass ceilings" and in 1967, with the passing of the Federal Civil Rights Act, remaining obstacles were removed.

 

The Present

 

Local 1455 is now facing some of the most difficult challenges ever --- utility mergers, continued downsizing, changing technology, substantial sub-contracting of work.  And, as has been the case over the past 50 years, the members of Local 1455 will meet these challenges head on.