To the Membership of Local 18007
Brothers and Sisters,
We write to you today with deep anger and absolute clarity regarding People’s Gas and the latest attack on our jurisdiction and our livelihoods.
People’s Gas has brought in 597 pipefitters to learn how to perform inside gas work. Let us be perfectly clear: the Local 18007 Executive Board has never condoned, never agreed to, and never authorized any of this. This scheme was not brought to us by People’s leadership. It was brought to our attention by a field worker.
To remove any confusion: the contractors that work for People’s are utilizing their own employees to take on this additional work. This is not coming through the union hall. This has been an idle threat hanging over our heads for more than 20 years. Now we are at zero hour. The time for talk is over. Now is the time to step up and prove everyone who ever doubted us wrong.
The Executive Board will explore every legal option available to us. We will continue to fight. Our attorney is fully in the loop, and so is our national union, the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA).
We will not sit quietly while our work is handed away. We will not accept this as the new normal. Stand ready. Stand united. We fight together.
In Solidarity,
The Executive Board of 18007