Union president respected by members, management

BRAINTREE - By the time Gary Sullivan gets to work, he may skip the morning coffee.

Arguing over labor contracts can be just as effective a way to jump start his day.

For the president of Utility Workers Union of America Local 369, such arguments have provided many java-jolting mornings this past year.

From a two-week strike at NStar in May to the mass defections in the AFL-CIO in July, serving the workers of a deregulated industry in a country that is less supportive of organized labor has kept him ‘‘in one word, busy,'' he says.

The 45-year-old Hanover resident has been president of Local 369 for three years. Before that, he was secretary/treasurer for seven. He began his career as an underground troubleshooter at NStar predecessor Boston Edison in 1980.

Buttons, posters and strike memorabilia blanket the walls of his office at Emerald Hall, the union's Braintree headquarters. While some leaders are accused of losing touch with the rank and file, Sullivan stays grounded, say Local 369 members.

"He's pulling all the stops for us," says Kevin Gregor, a central control operator at Mystic Unit 7 in Everett. Workers at the Everett power plant voted on Aug. 25 to authorize a strike if their contract negotiations are not resolved by the end of September.

"There's a misconception of union leaders that they're not there or they're playing golf," says Marty McCabe, a consultant for the union. "He's there all the time. ... He's very up-front and is juggling nine different things and is on top of everything."

A staff of seven manages the day-to-day operations of Local 369. The union represents about 2,500 energy and construction workers. Most of them work for NStar, the Boston-based electric utility.

The Mystic strike authorization is one example of the union's scrappiness, says Vincent Baldwin, executive vice president for Local 369.

"We have a history of fighting back," he says.

In late May, NStar workers ended a 16-day strike by voting in favor of a new contract with the utility company. In July of last year, workers narrowly avoided a strike against Entergy Corp. when Local 369 helped broker a new contract, less than 24 hours before the previous one expired.

Precarious situations like those are common in unions today. Sullivan says that's all the more reason that organized labor must present a more united front against ever-larger companies. He disapproves of the withdrawal of the Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers and Teamsters from the AFL-CIO.

"The issues do not warrant a split of the AFL-CIO," he says, placing the blame "squarely" on the leaders of the factions. "We wouldn't have a split without their egos."

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