Labor Updates (1/4/08)

Wash Gas Rate Increase Slashed: A year-long union and community campaign against a Washington Gas petition for a rate increase in DC resulted in substantial cuts to the final increase approved by the DC Public Service Commission (DCPSC) last Friday, reported Michael Neibauer in Tuesday's Examiner. Washington Gas' original rate increase proposal would have given the company projected DC revenues of $20 million. "But after a year of fighting virtually everyone, the company settled for a minimal increase," Neibauer reported. The decision follows a $350,000 fine levied against the company by DCPSC for refusing to provide all requested documents at the rate increase hearings (LABOR UPDATES 11/21/07 UC), an OPEIU Local 2-supported Prince George's County Council resolution condemning the company's outsourcing of 300 local jobs (PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNCIL CONDEMNS WASH GAS OUTSOURCING 10/31/07 UC), and recent evidence of the decline in customer service from the outsourcing (OUTSOURCING HURTS UTILITY SERVICE 12/4/07 UC). The NLRB has also charged Washington Gas with failure to bargain and failure to provide information about their outsourcing plans to Local 2. Local 2 is also fighting demands from Washington Gas that require only union members affected by the outsourcing to return tuition reimbursement from the company, reports Joyce Putnam of Local 2. “Management employees, who are losing their positions due to outsourcing, are not required to return their tuition reimbursement,” says Putnam. The company is specifically targeting union members “with the least pay and the least amount of benefits.” The DC City Council will hold hearings addressing the quality of utility services in February.