Budget Woes Squeeze Bargaining

1.11111M■1117--"--1 L Vol. 53 • No. 8 August 2004 Unity Is Strength Re orter 6:=;,-t.583 Utility PBEW LOCAL 1245 • AFL CIO Public Sector Budget woes squeeze bargaining he shortfall in California's state tight-fisted in their labor relations. Morel. When the City came up with budget has created unwelcome The City of Berkeley, for ex- a dollar figure, Local 1245 members T pressure for cost-cutting at many ample, has pressed hard for wage proposed shortening their workweek of Local 1245's employers in the reductions from all unions, includ- to meet it. But the City was intent on public sector. ing Local 1245, and has shown little wage reductions. As state budget negotiations interest in seeking alternative ap- "It was the only thing they were stretched into mid-July with no deal proaches to cutting costs. willing to look at," said Morel. "We Lineman Dean House on a pole in sight, city and county officials "We approached the City in the engaged in the meet and confer pro- replacement job for Pacific Gas & continued their prolonged battle to spirit of good faith bargaining and cess in a spirit of good faith bargain- Electric in San Francisco. protect local government revenues. tried to determine from them what ing and the City blew us off." But months of uncertainty over how kind of dollar amount they were The problem is not limited to See Back Page much help to expect from the state looking for in terms of savings," said Berkeley. has made many local employers more Local 1245 Business Rep. Lynne At the City of Oakland, employ- ees represented by Local 1245 are taking voluntary time off without pay during the first year of the cur- Members send message to Frontier rent agreement, and in the second year will pick up the 3% PERS con- hen Local 1245 members The existing agreement has been tribution formerly paid by the em- voted "no" on the recent con- in "evergreen" status since last Sept. ployer. Wtract proposal from Frontier, 30, after the two parties failed to At the City of Alameda, where they knew they were sending a mes- reach a new agreement. The union the agreement came open for wage- sage. did not anticipate further talks until only negotiations in the last half of "Being union gives us a voice in August or September of this year, 2004, talks have gone nowhere. our negotiated wages, benefits and when labor law and contract lan- "We met once on the wage re- working conditions," said Kevin guage provides an opportunity to opener and they told us they had no Fitzgerald, an Installation and Main- resume negotiations. But by mutual money and were waiting for tenance Technician and 24-year agreement, the two sides began talks California's state budget to get re- union member. "With this 'no' vote, in May, with assistance from federal solved.," Morel said. The City has the company and the union need to mediator Greg Lim. said it is contemplating 10% budget get back together and work this thing "There was movement compared cuts at various departments and has out." to where negotiations were last Sep- not come back to the table, she said. There wasn't anything ambigu- tember," said Assistant Business At the City of Willits, which faces ous about the message members were Manager Dennis Seyfer. The pack- a $50,000 shortfall in this year's sending. Local 1245 members over- age presented to members this June budget, the employer negotiated a whelmingly rejected the proposal by was equal to agreements between new $250 deductible on the medical a 16-101 margin, with one invalid Kevin Fitzgerald, 24-year union member ballot. Page 5 at Frontier. Page 5 Political Action i d e Retire( Save Your Healthcare 3 Reduced Drug Benefits 1g Union Finances Your Union Safety Matters 2003 Auditor's Report 15 - 17 Talk to Me 2 Heat Stroke 12 Service Awards Boycotts Women at Work Reno 8 / East Bay 10 / Monterey 13 California 'Do Not Patronize' List 14 Sex Discrimination Suits YOUR Talk to me: I want to know what we can do to improve the quality of your work life By Perry Zimmerman, Business Manager In my career with Local 1245, I what you think. implement, what do you think that you not want to know that we are have always gone out of my way to What can we do at Local 1245 to we could do better when it comes to telling you? What do you want to find out what our members think. improve your working lives? negotiations? find out that you can't find out? How Surprisingly, I have been criticized What can we do better when it What can we do better when it do you want to hear about what we at times for spending too much time comes to negotiations? Because we comes to grievances? Again, we have are doing? listening, too much time with Local spend time with other unions and are a sense of how our grievance proce- How can we be more visible to 1245's members. I don't mind that aware of what other unions are dure and arbitration record compares our members? I place a great deal of criticism, and of course I don't agree achieving in bargaining, we are more with other unions, and we are proud importance on my staffbeing visible with it. At the core of my beliefs than a little proud ofthe results of our of the job that we do. We now have to our members, and I lead by ex- about trade unionism is the belief negotiations. That said, I know that more cases referred to arbitration, ample on this point. What do you that constant interaction between a you are less concerned with how we both at PG&E and at other employ- think? How can we as a staff— union and its members is critical for stack up compared to other unions ers, than we have ever had referred beginning with me, and including the success of the union. than you are with what your wages, to arbitration at one time in the local's both my administrative staff in Last month in this column, I iden- hours, and working conditions look history, largely because of intensi- Vacaville and my Business Repre- tified for you some ofthe areas where like. Keeping in mind that sugges- fied efforts to represent our members sentatives in the field—be more of a I hope to make progress over the tions about how something is done aggressively in the grievance proce- presence? next three years. This month, I would are possible to implement while com- dure. What do you think? How can How about stewards? Do you like to turn the tables and ask you ments about results are impossible to we improve the way that we file and know who your steward is? How process grievances? can we make stewards more visible? What can we do to make your Do you have any suggestions for workplace safer? Ultimately, noth- developing anew generation ofstew- UtilityReporter ing is more important than your ards, representatives, and leaders? safety. The best wages and benefits The demographics that face our em- August 2004 Vol. 53 No. 8 in the world mean nothing if you are ployers also face Local 1245. Just as 11111LCA Circulation: 24.000 seriously injured or killed on the job, our employers will lose a large per- and many of our members work centage of their most experienced Business Manager & Published monthly at 30 Orange under conditions that are inherently and talented workforce to retirement Executive Editor Tree Circle, Vacaville, CA 95687. Perry Zimmerman Official publication of Local Union dangerous or have high risk factors over the next few years, we will lose for cumulative injury. How can we a large percentage of our most expe- Communications Director & 1245, International Brotherhood of Managing Editor Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO, P.O. improve the job that we are doing to rienced and talented and dedicated Eric Wolfe Box 2547, Vacaville, CA 95696. improve workplace safety? membership and leadership. How President Periodical postage paid at How can we better communicate can we better reach out to new, young E. L. "Ed" Mallory Vacaville and at additional mailing to you what we are doing? Presently, workers, and develop a body of lead- offices. USPS No. 654640, ISSN we communicate through this news- ers to carry on the task of building a Executive Board No. 0190-4965. Art Freitas paper, occasional mailings, our union to the next generation? Chris Habecker POSTMASTER: Please send Form website, and meetings. One of the How can we better interact in the Dave Scott 3579, Change of Address, and all Anna Bayless-Martinez prime areas where I hope to improve political arena? I know that politics is correspondence to Utility Reporter, Kathy F. Tindall what we are doing in the next few a controversial subject, and that there John Mendoza P.O. Box 2547, Vacaville, CA years is in the area of communica- 95696. are some within our membership Treasurer tion. We are in the process of evalu- who care more about a politician's Cecelia De La Torre ating a communications survey we stand on non-labor issues (such as conducted last spring at unit meet- gun control) than they do about the Single copies $1. Subscription by arrangement. Have you moved recently? ings, but this is such an important politician's stand on labor issues. Please send complete new address and your Social Security Number (by U.S.

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