The agreement went into effect in May 1995, and in September a partnership meeting was held. The parties developed a list of principles, among them one that made the union a full partner in program planning. The union agreed not to file frivolous grievances, and management agreed not to use or misuse its positional authority. To aid communications, a standardized newsletter was published, and informational meetings on company time were held for about a week. Employees are talking about how the business can improve and discussing issues, not wants.
Employees participate in discussion and decision making.
At the power plants, management staff holds bi-weekly meetings with management and union reps. Benefits to customers include a 17 percent reduction in costs. Maintenance workers, when possible can work four 10-hour shifts and have Friday or Monday off. Thee company is looking at how to document training, with an emphasis on safety concerns. Employees continue to be involved in discussion and decision making, and two and a half hours of training in problem solving continues to be provided to each employee.