notgreedy
05-13-2006, 04:43 PM
I am new to this forum as far as contributing, but I have read the posts for a while... I am not a lineman (or a man, for that matter ;) ), but I have worked for an electric utility for 19 years in many capacities... that being said...
my point for posting...
I work for National Grid in upstate New York. I have hated them from the moment they took over Niagara Mohawk. Their lack of concern over their employees safety and well being as well as their lack of concern over customer satisfaction and system reliability is enough to make you puke--even before you find out the billions of dollars in profits the company makes.
Our last contract seems to be one that put a silver bullet into the heart of our union by freely allowing contractors to take over most of our work. Similar to how I know no one who actually voted for Bush (yet he won anyway), I know of no one who actually voted for this last contract (but, I also have to say that there weren't that many who actually read and understood fully the changes that were being voted on, either).... Now I am watching a mass exodus of our aging workforce, and those of us who still have many years before we can even think of retiring are left holding this nasty bag of sh*t that the Greed is handing us-- we are being set up to fail miserably, and that's exactly what we are doing... :mad:
We do not have enough resources available to properly do our jobs... I am a trainee in my dept, and I do not get trained, I get work that a clerk should be doing-- the others in my department have to share vehicles (while the contractors doing our jobs each get their own rental vehicle)... We have to field the complaints about the jobs that the contractors have messed up on, and then fix their work (and not get credit for it)..... we watch as UNION retirees come back as "consultants" and do the jobs our union bros and sis did, and should be doing-- and these jerks are getting paid three times what any of us get paid--I guess I can't blame them, because if they didn't do it, someone else would, but still... they should be supporting the Union....
The lastest slap in the face from the company is that they got fined for poor customer service from the Public Service Commission... One might think that we, as employees, could breath a sigh of relief that finally someone is telling Greed to take care of the business of taking care of their customers... but, no... listen to this... the EMPLOYEES have been told that we are not to speak disparagingly of the company under any circumstances... meaning that when a customer happens to meet up with one of the few remaining faces that actually represent the company in public and attempts to bombard us with their complaints that they haven't been able to resolve satisfactorily over the telephone (which is ALL OF THEM), we will face discipline if we direct them to voice their complaint to the PSC... this company has said that we could face termination if we tell customers that the reason that their work isn't getting done in a timely manner is because we don't have the man power, because the company will not invest the money in maintenance, because the company is not interested in providing customer service... meaning that we are not allowed to TELL THE TRUTH or give the customer a viable alternative to go with their complaint (because I know I can't solve their problems).... I am sickened by this and it gets worse every day...
National Grid is a NON AMERICAN company who is buying up a significant portion of America's electric and natural gas infrastructure... WHY ISN"T THE GOVERNMENT CHALLENGING THIS, MUCH LIKE THE PORT DEALS??? Why is an foreign owned company being allowed to roll all over American workers and consumers like this, and barely a whisper when they continue to buy up more and more???? :eek:
Just needed to rant....
thanks for listening!!
my point for posting...
I work for National Grid in upstate New York. I have hated them from the moment they took over Niagara Mohawk. Their lack of concern over their employees safety and well being as well as their lack of concern over customer satisfaction and system reliability is enough to make you puke--even before you find out the billions of dollars in profits the company makes.
Our last contract seems to be one that put a silver bullet into the heart of our union by freely allowing contractors to take over most of our work. Similar to how I know no one who actually voted for Bush (yet he won anyway), I know of no one who actually voted for this last contract (but, I also have to say that there weren't that many who actually read and understood fully the changes that were being voted on, either).... Now I am watching a mass exodus of our aging workforce, and those of us who still have many years before we can even think of retiring are left holding this nasty bag of sh*t that the Greed is handing us-- we are being set up to fail miserably, and that's exactly what we are doing... :mad:
We do not have enough resources available to properly do our jobs... I am a trainee in my dept, and I do not get trained, I get work that a clerk should be doing-- the others in my department have to share vehicles (while the contractors doing our jobs each get their own rental vehicle)... We have to field the complaints about the jobs that the contractors have messed up on, and then fix their work (and not get credit for it)..... we watch as UNION retirees come back as "consultants" and do the jobs our union bros and sis did, and should be doing-- and these jerks are getting paid three times what any of us get paid--I guess I can't blame them, because if they didn't do it, someone else would, but still... they should be supporting the Union....
The lastest slap in the face from the company is that they got fined for poor customer service from the Public Service Commission... One might think that we, as employees, could breath a sigh of relief that finally someone is telling Greed to take care of the business of taking care of their customers... but, no... listen to this... the EMPLOYEES have been told that we are not to speak disparagingly of the company under any circumstances... meaning that when a customer happens to meet up with one of the few remaining faces that actually represent the company in public and attempts to bombard us with their complaints that they haven't been able to resolve satisfactorily over the telephone (which is ALL OF THEM), we will face discipline if we direct them to voice their complaint to the PSC... this company has said that we could face termination if we tell customers that the reason that their work isn't getting done in a timely manner is because we don't have the man power, because the company will not invest the money in maintenance, because the company is not interested in providing customer service... meaning that we are not allowed to TELL THE TRUTH or give the customer a viable alternative to go with their complaint (because I know I can't solve their problems).... I am sickened by this and it gets worse every day...
National Grid is a NON AMERICAN company who is buying up a significant portion of America's electric and natural gas infrastructure... WHY ISN"T THE GOVERNMENT CHALLENGING THIS, MUCH LIKE THE PORT DEALS??? Why is an foreign owned company being allowed to roll all over American workers and consumers like this, and barely a whisper when they continue to buy up more and more???? :eek:
Just needed to rant....
thanks for listening!!