Unionized Consumers Energy employees to get hands-on training as part of five-year agreement

JACKSON, MI As many as 2,500 unionized employees at Consumers Energycould get more hands-on training for their jobs as part of a five-year agreement between the union and utility.

Consumers Energy and the Utility Workers Union of America have opened a new training center in Potterville that will help build and sharpen employees' skills in meter reading, gas service appliance repair and other natural gas- and electric-related service fields.

The 10,000-sqaure-foot center, which features seven classrooms and related labs, is part of an agreement that that Consumers and the UWUA made last yearto enable the union to take a leadership role in expanding training for the employees it represents.

"The union really has promoted this concept that they want to take a larger responsibility as far as preparing the people they represent to do these jobs," said Consumers Energy spokesman Brian Wheeler. "They have a very close relationship with our workforce, and it is a collaborative relationship."

The UWUA Power for America Training Trust Fund leased an existing office building in Potterville, southwest of Lansing, and is moving its home office from Southfield to the new location.

"We want to set the standard of excellence for training utility workers to do their work to the best of their abilities," Pat Dillon, president of the Michigan State Utility Workers Council, said in a statement. "We're confident we can transform the way we prepare employees, providing a better outcome for them and the Consumers Energy customers they serve throughout Michigan."

Company officials have said the training being provided by the union is a "game-changer" and is a new approach that positions the company as a leader in the energy industry.

"The first principle of all the work that gets done is safety," Wheeler said. "That's the pillar of our culture. We're confident that they (the union) are providing first-class training and preparation to the employees that go through the center."

The rest is here:
Unionized Consumers Energy employees to get hands-on training as part of five-year agreement