After a week of negotiations and worker pickets, both Dominion Transmission, Inc and Union Employees have reached an agreement to end the lockout.  As a result, all union employees will return to work with full back pay and benefits.

Last Wednesday, about 950 workers in six states were lockout of their jobs due to the contract dispute.  That included employees in Luthersburg, Clearfield County.

As union representatives stated previously they had no intentions on striking.  The employees want to work.  The current agreement is good until April 1, 2017 and both sides agreed to continue bargaining and future dates are tentatively schedules.

“This was an effort to provide protection to the public and to return our skilled, dedicated workforce back to their jobs,” Craig Bradford President UGWU Local 69A

JOINT STATEMENT OF DOMINION TRANSMISSION, INC., HOPE GAS, INC. d/b/a DOMINION HOPE, an UNITED GAS WORKERS’ UNION, LOCAL 69

Dominion Transmission, Inc., Hope Gas, Inc. d/b/a Dominion Hope and United Gas Workers’ Union, Local 69 are issuing this joint statement to announce that the lockout by Dominion Transmission, Inc., Hope Gas, Inc. d/b/a Dominion Hope of their employees represented by United Gas Workers’ Union, Local 69, which began on September 7, 2016, is ending, and has ended because the parties have entered into a written agreement providing that United Gas Workers’ Union, Local 69, has agreed that it will not engage in any strike, slowdown, or work stoppage from the date of this agreement until April 1, 2017, that it will notify all of its members of this agreement, that if any of its members engages in any strike, slowdown, or work stoppage during the term of this agreement, it will notify the member that such conduct violates this agreement, it will take all possible steps to bring such activity to an immediate end, and the Employer may treat the employees who engage in that activity as having violated this agreement. In addition, Dominion Transmission, Inc. and Hope Gas, Inc. d/b/a Dominion Hope agree that, from the date of this Agreement until April 1, 2017, there will be no lockout of union-eligible employees. The parties will continue to negotiate toward a new collective bargaining agreement during the period covered by this agreement.

Frank Mack, the spokesman for Dominion Transmission added this statement:

“An agreement was reached today that will allow members of Local 69 of the Utility Workers Union of America, United Gas Workers to return to work. This agreement will ensure our customers will not face the prospect of an unexpected walkout this winter until a new labor contract is reached.

The union agreed to not strike at Dominion Transmission and Dominion Hope at least through April 1.  In exchange, the companies agreed to recall the union members to work and not lock them out during that period.

Bargaining-unit members are scheduled to return to work with their regular shifts starting at 6 a.m. Saturday. 

Contract talks are scheduled to resume by early October toward reaching a new contract.”