|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
SAVE THE DATE!
PG&E ANNUAL
MEETING
10.23.2010
Member Update
8/19/2010
Agreement on Mitigations
of Displacements
The Union asks all members to
remember that there are still brothers and sisters
on the re-hire list as a result of lay-offs and
many more have been displaced from their original
headquarters. That is why when management
submitted hiring hall requests in estimating, the
Union sought and achieved 9 temporary hardship
transfers to allow displaced members to return
temporarily to their original HQs in lieu of
hiring hall. The Union always seeks to mitigate
the effect of displacements when contractually
possible. In addition, Treasurer Wayne Ash is
preparing a business case to justify the addition
of regular positions instead to temporary
workers.
National Healthcare Legislation
Agreement
The Union and PG&E have reached
an agreement to accommodate the current effects of
national healthcare legislation. The Union
believes that these changes will positively impact
Members and retirees. Significant changes
include:
- Expansion of eligibility of children to from
age 21 to under 26 to be enrolled as dependants
on members health plans. This expansion of
eligibility will include dental, medical and
vision.
- Combined medical plan and mental health plan
deductibles. Consult LOA 10-19 for specifics.
The combined deductable is a combination of a
fraction of both deductibles.
In addition other changes include the
elimination of the Medicare ROP plan (due to
conflicts with regulations) the dropping of the
planned Low cost PPO plan with higher deductibles
(due to conflicts with regulations), and
lowering of the employee share of the planned High
Deductible Health Plan with Health Saving Account
from 7.5% to 5%.
Exhibits
Senior Union Representative Joshua
Sperry is in the process of posting on the Union
Website all exhibits of the Contract. The Contract
was printed with only exhibits that effect all
classifications. All other exhibits are in effect,
and will be available for download from the Union
website.
GIS and Distribution
Engineer-Realignment
Though the Union’s
Business Manager’s grievance regarding the
DE-realignment continues, the Union will be
meeting with PG&E regarding the company’s
plans for GIS (and the impact on mappers) and the
effect Distribution Engineer re-alignment is
having on the all Members.
Labor-Management Committees
This month will
see the first meeting of the Engineering and
Environmental labor management committees. These
new committees are an important milestone in the
integration of recently organized members into the
ESC PG&E Labor-Management system. Later this
year will see the first ever all member System
wide Labor Management meeting with representatives
from each system wide labor management committee.
That meeting will see member leaders from Mapping
to Nuclear Engineers sit to meet with
PG&E.
|
|
LM
Committee |
Work
Group |
Presently
Chartered |
|
E&M
plus 1 from each other LM
Committee
(new) |
E&M:
Areas 1-7 & Land
|
Estimating |
X |
|
Mapping |
|
SNBR-IPE |
|
Dist.
Engineers |
|
Outage
Coord's |
|
GC |
|
Land/CRE |
X |
|
|
|
DD |
GO
(design) |
X |
|
Project
Svcs |
Project
Mgmt |
X |
|
Professional
Engineering w/DE & Power Gen
Representative |
Project
Engrg |
New
|
|
Elec
Standards |
|
Substation
Strategy |
|
M&C
Engrg |
|
Protection |
|
ISTS
Telecom |
|
Power
Generation |
Power
Gen/Hydro |
New |
|
Technology,
Materials and
Environmental |
Environmental |
New |
|
Insulation/Materials |
|
TES |
|
NUC
DD/PLNG |
DCPP
Design |
X |
|
DCPP
Planning |
X |
|
NUC
ENGRG |
DCPP
Engineer |
New |
|
NUC
PROF |
DCPP
Professionals |
New |
lso
Christine Walpole will represent Senior New
Business Representatives and Industrial Power
Engineers on the E&M Labor Management
Committee. This is another milestone in the
integration of newly organized members into the
rank and file of ESC.
Hiring Hall Agreement at Diablo Canyon Power
Plant
Union Representative Susan Greenwood
reports that an agreement was reached to extend
the same provisions of a DCPP hiring hall
agreement to contractors doing the work normally
assigned to all Members at DCPP.
Retiree Medical Employer Contribution (RMEC)
vs. Retiree Medical Saving Account (RMSA):
Pre-Medicare retiree medical premiums rates
for 2011 are anticipated to increase significantly
as a result of un-blending retirees and active
employees. Starting in 2011 retirees will be
required to retire using the RMSA – those who
retire in 2010 have the choice of RMSA or RMEC.
The value of the improved (as a result of the
medical re-opener) RMEC depends on the retiree
medical plan choices and can be significant.
Members are urged to evaluate the differences if
they are eligible to retire. PG&E has supplied
an online calculator and sent each employee and
retiree information to evaluate to difference
between the RMEC and RMSA. The last date to apply
for retirement in 2010 is September
1st.
Electric Cars
Executive Vice President Tim
Brock reports that Union leaders attended a
PG&E meeting regarding the future impact of
commercially available electric cars. The purpose
of meeting was to look at how to handle these
connections in a timely manner. Some of the areas
expected to receive these vehicles have very
fragile infrastructure. ESC made some proposals of
staffing, tools and process ideas, including
members in Service Planning having access to
Smartmeter load and voltage data which they do not
currently have access to. ESC expressed concern
over treating electric vehicle customers
differently than any other customers, but supports
meeting this new demand.
STIP Committee
The joint Union-Company STIP
committee has held a series of meetings. The
meetings focused on the history of STIP and its
implementation in newly organized groups. The
Union reiterated that there are no forced ranking
of members; that just cause applies to STIP; and
made a series of recommendations including 1.7%
pension multiplier for members that receive STIP,
team metrics and removal of the premier survey as
a metric in order to promote open and honest
communication.
ADE Leadership Training
V.P. of Divisions
Joel Foster participated in ADE leadership
training by PG&E. This training seems to be
fairly well-received by attending ADEs, although
some have mentioned that it is too “touchy feely”.
There is also confusion/concern around the line
between directing the work of estimators and
actually supervisorial duties.
IBEW Clerical Bargaining
When ESC met with
our Brothers and Sisters of IBEW 1245 in their
member hall, the IBEW 1245 reported hard
negotiations at NV Energy and the beginning of
clerical bargaining at PG&E. The PG&E Unit
Board of ESC Local 20 has unanimously expressed
solidarity with the IBEW Clerical in Bargaining
with PG&E. Please support the IBEW
clerical!
South San Joaquin Irrigation District
The
Union is opposing efforts by SSJID to take over
PG&E service territory in Ripon, Escalon and
Manteca. The Union believes that rate-payers
in those cities are better served by PG&E and
that promised benefits to those cities are
incomplete and inaccurate.
General Rate Case
Senior Union
Representative Joshua Sperry reports that the
Union brief in the General Rate Case at the CPUC
is complete and ready to file. The Union brief
focuses on the value of ESC-represented design,
project management, engineering and estimating at
PG&E to the rate payers over contracting that
work. The other main point of the brief is that
PG&E should be required to implement a
workforce development plan to ensure that the
rate-payers continue to enjoy the benefits of
design, project management, engineering and
estimating at PG&E in the future.
Contract Corner
Members are reminded that
upgrades into a higher classification can count
toward progression in the wage rate for the higher
classification when Members are regularly assigned
to that classification. For instance if a Member
has spent one year upgraded to ADE and
successfully bid to an ADE position they start at
the 12 month step of ADE. Members are urged to
save timecards and other proof of such
upgrades.
Legislative Education Action Program:
In
July ESC Local 20 participated in the California
Labor Federation convention. The CLF is a
federation of over 1,200 California unions
representing over 1.2 million California workers.
The combined CLF unanimously endorsed Jerry Brown
for Governor. Next year we enter into contract
negotiations with PG&E. Having a labor
friendly Governor will be very important to create
the best environment for bargaining. A governor
that attacks workers benefits, pensions and a
history of off shoring work is not in your
interest! That is why you may be contacted
by the Union asking to volunteer your time to join
your fellow working people to have voice in this
election.
In Solidarity
John Mader
President ESC
Local 20
July
8, 2010
On
June 30, the Union met with Labor
Relations and upper management of Technical
Services. Management told us that they intend to
bring on 18 Hiring Hall Electric Estimators and 6
Hiring Hall Gas Estimators to backfill for
employees on temporary assignments or leaves and
because of temporary locational bubbles in work.
They also may fill a few Hiring Hall SNBR's as
backfill for employees on leave. ESC told
management that the Company should implement
full-time rehires instead of Hiring Hall, and we
will continue to press for re-hire into regular
positions of all the laid-off employees. If Hiring
Hall are used, ESC also requested that before
determining the locations for Hiring Hall
placements, management reassign displaced
employees back to their original headquarters
where possible. Management indicated a willingness
to work on this with the Union on some temporary
re-assignments, which we hope will help ease the
impact of long commutes on a number of displaced
members. We will keep meeting with management to
add our input into the staffing
plans.
June 28,
2010
Support
IBEW Clerical in Bargaining with
PG&E
The
4,000 PG&E clerks and clerical employees
represented by IBEW Local 1245 have begun
bargaining for a new Clerical contract with
PG&E. On June 14, the IBEW and PG&E
exchanged proposals. The IBEW says "PG&E
proposals threaten clerical job security and wage
security".Please support your brothers and sisters
in the PG&E Clerical
Unit!
For
more information, see the PG&E Clerical
Campaign website:
http://www.ibew1245.com/news-PGE/PGE_Cler_Bargaining_Home.html
Update 6/18/10
New Land
Department
jobs
Management has informed ESC that they
will be hiring for a number of new beginning-level
positions in the Land Department. These include
Land Planner, Land Agent, Right of Way Agent, Land
Planning Analyst, Terrestrial Biologist and
Cultural Resources Specialist.
Most of the positions are in the bid
system and if you want to be considered you must
have your pre-bid entered. However, the
qualifications for these jobs are fairly high, for
example Right of Way agent requires a BA/BS in a
related field and courses from the International
Right of Way Association or equivalent; Land
Planner requires BA/BS with emphasis in Land
Use/Environmental Planning, Recreation Management,
Business or related resource field or the
equivalent in education or experience. If
you meet the qualifications, make sure your
pre-bids are in the
system.
Biologist and Cultural Resource
Specialist positions are listed in Talent Connect,
which is the web portal for "management"
jobs. You need to set up a profile in the
system and search for these jobs - you can
use the keyword ESC to see all ESC jobs that are
in Talent Connect. Biologist and CRS jobs
require a 4-year job in either biology or
anthropology/archaeology.
ELECTION RESULTS FOR THE PG&E
UNIT BOARD
2010
The
following officers were re-elected by
acclamation:
Heather Wilson - Vice
President - General
Construction
Irving Joe - Vice President -
General
Office
Joel Foster - Vice
President - Divisions
Congratulations
to
All!
March
Steward Update
Hot
Topics
Steward Training: The training call
for Stewards was held on the 25th. The
Topic was the Labor Movement and ESC's structure.
The next Steward training with focus on
investigations, discipline and grievances of
discipline.
Mapping cross commodity: A number of
issues have risen due to cross commodity
assignments other than leak survey. The Union is investigating and
meeting with the Company.
Vacation: In late 2009, management
required members to use vacation that would be in
excess of the maximum carry over before the end of
the year. The Union filed a Business
Manager's Grievance that the Company can't
schedule members for vacation outside the
requirements of Title 9.12 of the contract. 9.12
of the Contract does not prevent management from
requiring vacation to be taken that would result
in pay - but it does require supervisors to
schedule that vacation by March 31st
for April though December or by December
31st for January through March. It
light of management's practice in 2009, Stewards
may need to insist that the Contract vacation
procedure be followed. Most headquarters/work
groups do not strictly follow the contractual
vacation scheduling procedure. The vacation
sign-up period is set to begin March
5th. Stewards are advised to read and
understand the attached vacation scheduling
guide.
Monthly PWI: As required by the new
Contract, Progressive Wage Increases under Title
15.4(b)(2) for all monthly paid classifications
will move a common March 1 PWI date, occurring
this March 1. An ESC subcommittee reached
agreement with management regarding appropriate
pro-rating of the PWI for monthly paid members. In
general the pro-rating will be as detailed in the
last Stewards Update. Additionally, future raises
resulting from Title 15.4 (A)(2) - assignment
to higher monthly ESC classification - will
result in similar pro-rating of a monthly
employee's next March 1 PWI. Members that retire
in 2010 that receive a pro-rated PWI will have
their pensionable income adjusted if their
un-prorated PWI would be after
March 1.
Details will be posted on the Union Website
soon.
Waiver of Steward Form: Members have
reported that some have been required to sign a
form when they decline representation during
management investigations or disciplines. If
Members are being pressured to forgo
representation they should contact their Steward.
Members are advised to exercise their Weingarten
rights and always elect representation.
The formal vacation schedule sign-up
process (Title
9.12):
Posting Window. To begin the process
supervisors are required to post a vacation
schedule sign-up schedule by March 5th,
to be available until March 15th, for
the period of April 1 till the end of the year.
For the period of January through March of the
next year this process begins December
5th until December
15th.
Indicate preference by seniority
order
The most senior member in a work
group indicates a preferred vacation increment on
the vacation sign-up schedule, and then the next
most senior member indicates their preferred
vacation increment. The process continues, in
order of seniority, until all members in a work
group have an opportunity to indicate one
preferred vacation increment.
The process begins again with the
most senior member indicating their second
preferred vacation increment, then the next most
senior member, and so on until all members in a
work group have an opportunity to indicate another
preferred vacation increment. The process then
starts again (you get the
idea).
Members may schedule vacation that
they will accrue in the
future.
Alternative vacation schedule
sign-up process:
An alternate way of accomplishing
the above is to allow members to concurrently
indicate their vacation preference on the vacation
sign-up schedule and to have the members
prioritize the vacation increments that they
indicate on the vacation sign-up
schedule.
Supervisors may then schedule
vacation in the annual vacation schedule based on
the vacation sign-up schedule. If there is a
conflict when there are two many members that want
vacation for a period of time the member(s) with
the highest priority denoted on the vacation
sign-up schedule are granted vacation. If there is
a tie in priority the member(s) with the most
seniority are granted seniority.
Vacation Notes:
Management establishes the annual
vacation schedule in two periods. The
annual vacation schedule is due by March
31st for the period April 1 till the end of the
year and by December 31st for January, February
and March of next year.
Management can
schedule your vacation accrual that will be in
excess of 2 years as of December 31st in the
annual vacation schedule. Since members may not
forgo vacation for the purpose of being paid, they
may forgo vacation that won’t result in pay - that
is another way to say management can only schedule
vacation that will be in excess of 2X the annual
allotment.
Supervisors are required to give
consideration to the vacation preference indicated
by Members via the above vacation sign-up schedule
process. If
management schedules a member for vacation for a
member that the member did not request, those
periods should be in one week increments beginning
on a Monday.
The union steward could also ask the
supervisor why they did not follow employees’
expressed
preferences.
The maximum vacation carryover is 2x
the annual allotment - vacation in excess of
2x the annual allotment as of December 31st is
paid out February at the February
rate.
Members may indicate their
preference for vacation by December 15th for
Jan-Feb-Mar of next year, and by March
15th for rest
of year (Sec 9.12).
The vacation sign-up schedule is not
the only way to request vacation. The vacation
sign-up schedule is the way for members to
indicate their vacation preference for vacation
that management intends to schedule and reserve
vacation increments. Management shall schedule
vacation that is requested by members at other
times of the year. Management may deny those
requests for an operational
need.
Vacation requested 24 hours in
advance and granted is scheduled vacation. Members
receive 3 floating holidays for unscheduled
vacation - though not required, members are
supposed to make an effort to notified supervisor
24 hours in advance of floating holidays.
Members should not use their
floating holiday early in the year in lieu of
charging the time as vacation. By definition you
never know when you will need an unanticipated
vacation , members should not use them up
when they could have charged the time as vacation
instead.
Hourly members may take up to 24
hours of unanticipated vacation a year in
increments of 1 hour up to 6 hours. Monthly
members may also take unanticipated vacation in
less than whole day increments, but Monthly
members are not charged vacation for less than 4
hours. However if a monthly member takes more than
4 hours they are charged the entire vacation
increment.
Update
02/04/2010
DCPP
PROFESSIONALS CONTRACT
RATIFIED!
YES-58
NO-3
Click
here for a pdf of the Official Ballot Committe's
Report
Click
here for a pdf of the LOA
POWER
GEN-HYDRO CONTRACT RATIFIED!
YES-56
NO-11
Click
here for a pdf of the Official Ballot Committee's
Report
Click
here for a pdf of the LOA
Click here for a pdf of the job
descriptions
ESC
Local 20 PG&E Unit Board and Staff: Stewards
Update1/29/2010
Please Post and
Distribute
Power
Generation and DCPP Professionals Table
Settlements are out for ratification.
Outage Coordinators Tentative Agreement was just
reached on 1/27/2010.
Upcoming Steward
Training
Stewards, Information
Volunteers, and Potential Stewards interested in
participating in Unit-wide steward training,
beginning in February, contact Josh Sperry at
Jsperry@ifpte20.org.
Layoffs and
Displacement:
Management reduced 76 positions
in Estimating and Senior New Business
Representative classifications. 11 vacancies were
filled in Estimating and Senior New Business
Representative classifications. As the result of
negotiations by ESC Local 20, the number of
members involuntarily assigned lay-off was only
41. To date 35 Members have been laid off
involuntarily and 6 more are scheduled for
involuntary layoff February 1, although their
layoff date for purpose of re-hire will be the
same as everyone else. The ESC Local 20 Executive
Board and PG&E Unit Boards and Union Staff
express solidarity with those laid-off
members.
PWI for Monthly Employees moving to
March 1:
As required by the General
Contract cover letter, the Union has begun negotiations
regarding a common 3/1/2010 PWI date for monthly
paid classifications. Bargaining status:
1.
2010
PWI's scheduled after 3/1/2010 will be prorated to
3/1/2010.
2.
2010
PW's scheduled before 3/1/2010 will be treated
under current contract language, and the portion
of the 2011 scheduled PWI before 3/1/2011 will be
prorated to 3/1/2010.
Example of proration:
1.
PWI
scheduled for 9/1/2010: PWI will be re-scheduled
to 3/1/2010. The re-scheduled PWI amount will be
prorated to 6 (months earlier)/12=2.5%. You get a
smaller raise, but you get it earlier so the net
income remains the
same.
2.
PWI
scheduled for 2/1/2010: Member's scheduled PWI
2/1/2010 will be 5%. 3/1/2010 the member will
receive a prorated PWI 1/12 =
0.83%.
In both of the above cases 2011
scheduled PWI's will be 5% on 3/1/2011. Still to
be resolved are PWI's that result from future
placement in an ESC Local 20 monthly
classification and pensionable salary of PWI
prorated salary for retirees in
2010.
Headquarters
Swaps:
There is a heightened interest
in HQ swaps. HQ swap agreements are permitted by
Section 21.9 of the Contract. The Union's practice is to
permit exchange of headquarters between employees
in the same classification (and commodity)
provided that other member's Title 21 bidding and
transfer rights are not harmed. If members wishing
to exchange HQ are not the senior bidders/transfer
applicants, and senior bidders/transfer applicants
agree to the transfer, then the Union will seek an exchange
of headquarters agreement with the Company. As a
result of an exchange of headquarters agreement
other members bid rights including "A" rights are
not altered. Note: "A" rights are considered in
the determination of senior
bidders.
Hardship
Transfers:
There is heightened interest
in Hardship transfers. Hardship transfers are
permitted by section 21.9 of the Contract. The
Union's practice
is for the PG&E Unit Executive Board to review
hardship transfer requests; they are generally
approved only for important medical reasons with
documentation. Because hardship transfers are
despite other members' bidding/transfer right
there is a very high standard of proof of severity
of the hardship and lack of other ways to
mitigate. Members should submit their hardship
requests to their supervisors and Union
Representative for consideration. Hardship
requests must be approved by the Company as well.
Resource Sharing Local HQ to RMC:
Issues are
being raised by ADE's regarding their local work
being assigned to another local HQ. In the past,
the Union
negotiated that notifications would be assigned by
ADE's. This issue was clarified in General
Bargaining:
For work that must be done in a
Local Headquarter (voltage complaints, residential
4 lots or less):
Work could be sent from one
Local HQ to another. The Supervisor and ADE's are
to talk to each other about workload, operational
need, estimating expertise in office, efficiency,
etc. At the end of the day the Supervisor can
direct the ADE to send work to another local
HQ.
For work that can be done in a Local
HQ or RMC (but is not required to be done only in
Local HQ's):
Work could be sent from a Local
HQ to an RMC or from an RMC to a Local HQ. The
Supervisor and ADE's are to talk to each other
about workload, operational need, estimating
expertise in office, efficiency, etc. At the end
of the day the Supervisor can direct the ADE to
send work to a different Local HQ or
RMC.
Technical Services Customer Services
Policy:
Many members have raised
concerns about the new Technical Services Customer
Services Policy, especially regarding the 24 hour
customer call back requirement. This policy has
not been agreed to by the Union; rather it has been
established by management. The Union asserted with
management that this policy does not erase the
member's rights to "Just Cause", including
reasonableness of rule. This policy does not
eliminate members' rights to representation and
Just Cause for
discipline.
In
solidarity,
John
Mader
ESC Local 20 PG&E Unit
President
Update
01/08/2010
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES MUST
ENTER NEW BIDS AND CLAIM "A" RIGHTS
This is
an important reminder for all displaced employees
- please pass it on to anyone you know who has
been relocated.
The bid system eliminates
all your bids when you report to a new position
(either voluntarily or involuntarily). This occurs
at the end of the first day when you report to
your new work site. It is crucial that upon
reporting at a new work location, you go into the
bid system and enter bids for any and all
positions you might be interested in taking.
Please don't submit bids or pre-bids for jobs and
locations you know you have no intention of taking
now or in the future, as this will only slow down
the process for the serious
bidders.
Additionally, you must click the
box to assert "A" rights to a position you
previously held, the system will not do this for
you automatically. Remember that you can only
claim "A" rights to the previous headquarters you
were displaced out of, not another HQ that is
closer than where you got moved to or an HQ that
you used to work in a long time ago.
So for
all employees changing locations, make sure that
your new bids are in the system after you report
to your new location.
Update 01/04/2010
LAST DAY
OF WORK FOR LAID OFF MEMBERS
Today is the
last day of work for most of our members being
laid off by management; many other members are
being relocated effective today. We ask all
members to express their solidarity with those who
are losing their positions at PG&E. ESC
Local 20 wishes them good luck in this difficult
time, and we hope to see them back at PG&E as
soon as possible.
For laid-off employees,
make sure you have your hiring hall application to
ESC and have registered your contact information
with PG&E HR so that you can be called for
re-hire. If you have not received the layoff
resource packet already, you can download it and
the hiring hall application at the bottom of
the 12/03/2009 update.
UPDATE
12/3/2009
LAYOFF
RESOURCE PACKET
ESC
Local 20 is mailing a resource packet to all
employees initially assigned to layoff in the
current PG&E layoff process. It contains
information about unemployment benefits,
registering for the hiring hall, rehire, community
services, and financial planning. If you
would like to download the packet, use the link
below:
Layoff
Resource Packet ESC Local 20
Hiring
Hall Application ESC Local 20
UPDATE
11/25/09
ESC
Local 20 staff and elected leadership have been
meeting with PG&E HR and IR representatives,
all day yesterday and continuing today, to review
the Company's assignments of union members for
layoff and relocation. Management may send
out notices to affected members regarding layoff
or relocation as early as Monday, November 30,
2009. ESC Local 20 members notified of
layoff will have ten workdays (i.e. up to two
calendar weeks) before the layoff becomes
effective. Of course ESC Local 20 continues
to press management to reduce the number of
layoffs, and to find other methods to mitigate the
effects of any reductions on the remaining
employees.
UPDATE FOR EMPLOYEES WITH
LOW SERVICE: 11/17/09
On our
conference call yesterday for employees with low
seniority, ESC explained that we are working to
find PG&E positions outside of ESC for
displaced employees. There are currently
openings for Customer Service Representatives
(CSR) at the Sacramento
Call
Center,
and Gas Service Representatives (GSR) at
various locations (we are trying to get a
list). These positions are in the IBEW union
so are not guaranteed access by ESC, but we will
do what we can to help place employees who are
losing their ESC positions into these other
jobs.
If you are interested in
placement into a GSR or CSR job: send an email to
jsperry@ifpte20.org
with the following information: your name, current
job and work location, city where you live, how
far you would be willing to relocate (e.g. 50
miles, 100 miles, anywhere), and if you are
interested in the CSR, GSR or
both.
Joshua
Sperry
Organizing
and Political Coordinator
ESC Update:
11/12/09
Deadline
Date for Election Forms
Moved
ESC
was successful in winning more time for employees
to fill out their election forms. The
deadline was moved from Tuesday 11/10 to Friday
11/13. ESC recommends to all members that
after submitting their form, they check their
information in "About Me" to confirm that it was
entered correctly.
Beginning
Jobs
ESC is
still working to open up more beginning job
vacancies for displaced employees. ESC
has already added additional positions to the list
and we are still pushing for
more.
Unpaid
Leave to Severance
ESC is
still pushing for unpaid leave option that would
allow employees near retirement to get to a
retirement date later in 2010. Members may
want to sever from the company because they are
eligible for full retirement, or to get the new
Retiree Medical benefits, or other personal
reasons, but need to reach a date in 2010.
There is no solid commitment yet from management,
but we have been asked to survey our membership
and provide a list of potentially interested
employees. This option will not be available
company-wide, only in classifications where the
layoffs are occurring or where displaced employees
might bump into (such as mapping). If you or
someone you work with is interested in retiring in
2010, but needs a retirement date later in the
year, please send an email to jsperry@ifpte20.org
with their name, location, job title, birth date,
service date and the date they want to retire and
the reason for choosing that
date.
Electing
Layoff and RMSA and GWI
Many
employees have asked that if they are laid off, or
elect layoff, in December 2009 will they be able
to get the new improved Retiree Medical Savings
Account (RMSA) that becomes available in
2010. The answer is YES. The logic is
that you can only retire officially on the first
day of a month. If your last day of work is
in December (Dec 2 or later) then your retirement
date will be Jan 1, 2010. That would make
you eligible for the new retirement
benefits. Of course you must be retirement
eligible - i.e. Age 55 to get retiree medical
benefits.
To get
the 1/1/2010 General Wage (GWI) Increase applied
to your severance package, your last day of work
must be Jan 2 or later. In that case, your
retirement date is Feb 1 and your severance and
pension are based on your salary 30 days
prior. Employees who do elect layoff will
have to work with their supervisors to establish
an acceptable release date. A date of Jan 4,
2010 or later will build the GWI into your
severance payment. If you need assistance in
establishing your release date in 2010, please
contact Joshua Sperry at jsperry@ifpte20.org.
Sticker
Day: November 20
ESC
has been conducting our visibility actions every
20th of each month in solidarity with
our newly organized members. However, it is
now our brothers and sisters in Estimating and
Service Planning who most need the support and
solidarity from the rest of the union. We
will mailing out packets of "I AM THE UNION"
stickers to all our shop stewards and asking them
to distribute them on Friday, November 20.
We hope all ESC members will participate in
company-wide visibility to show management that
the employees are united.
Job
Searching
While
ESC is still negotiating with PG&E to mitigate
the effects of the displacements and secure
additional positions for its members, it is
important to note that it might be worthwhile to
actively seek other positions within PG&E on
your own. These positions include ESC
positions above beginning level (there are
currently several non-beginning openings
available), IBEW union jobs as well as management
positions. While securing a position outside
your current classification and/or headquarters
might not be ideal it would allow you the
opportunity to continue working for PG&E and
retain your original hire date among other
benefits.
To
View Open Positions Currently Being
Filled
- Needed
(for all management positions and several union
positions)
- Updated
Resume
- Cover
Letter
- Open
the PG&E homepage (intranet)
- Navigate
to 'PG&E@Work
for me' under 'My Stuff'
- Select
the 'About Me' tab
- Select
'My Career' on the left side.
- Management
(Non-Union) Positions
a)
Under
'Find Career Opportunities' select the link www.pge.com/careers
b)
Select
the link 'Search Management & Professional
Jobs'
c)
For
the broadest range of listings keep 'Job
Discipline' set to all and do not set a mile
range
d)
Either
click 'Search For Jobs' or scroll
down
e)
For
job descriptions and minimum requirements click on
the individual job listings
f)
In the
job listing click 'Apply Online if
interested
a)
Under
'Find Career Opportunities' select the link www.pge.com/careers
b)
Select
the link 'Search Skilled Jobs'
c)
For
the broadest range of listings leave zip/postal
code blank
d)
Select
'All Skilled Regular' and click
'Continue'
- Ensure
your Union Bids are entered for
positions
a)
Select
'Union Bids'
b)
Select
'Submit a Prebid or Transfer'
c)
Select
'ESC' or 'IBEW' depending on what job you are
bidding for
d)
Under
'Bid Directory' leave ALL selected to view the
broadest range of positions
e)
Select
continue
f)
Either
select 'All Listed Classifications' and 'All
Listed Locations' for the broadest range of
positions or select the specific classification
and/or location
Ensuring
that bids are current and active and checking the
job board regularly (step 1 & 2) is something
that every affected employee can do to keep all
possible options open.
ESC Local 20 PG&E Member
Update 11/04/09:
Conference calls are being
conducted to get as much information as possible
to members. During these times, Union
Leadership is constantly negotiating with
management and fielding calls and emails from
members. Unfortunately, I have been contacted by
some members who were unable to participate in the
conference call that was held last Friday.
We have contacted AT&T and are working on
changing the process to allow for more
participation in upcoming conference calls (BTW:
The Union uses AT&T because it is a Union
telecommunications company). However, for
now we still must request that members get
together to call in with their Stewards in order
to ensure that everyone gets a chance to be
in on the calls. Please check your emails and
use this page for updates regarding the next
conference call and for updated
information. This is a fluid situation and
we are doing everything we can to lessen the
impact this unilateral company action may have on
our membership. I would like to ask for
volunteer(s) to help take minutes of the
conference calls for distribution to all of our
members, if you are interested in volunteering
please send an email to Joshua
Sperry.
In Solidarity,
John
Mader
ESC Local 20 PG&E Unit Board
President
10/30/09: Click the link below
for LOA 99-21 which outlines the procedures for
Title 22 - Demomotion and Layoff:
LOA
99-21 Title 22 Procedure
ESC Local 20 PG&E Update
10/30/09:
Conference Call this Afternoon at 3:30
pm
Dear ESC Local 20 Shop
Stewards:
ESC will hold another
informational conference call today. Our
staff and leadership are meeting and talking with
management throughout the week. We know a
lot of members want more information. Any
interested employees may participate in the
conference call.
Shop stewards, we are
asking you to help manage this call by arranging
for groups to call in over the speakerphone.
If you are not available to coordinate a call-in
for your worksite, please ask another employee to
coordinate.
The call will be today at 3:30
pm, Friday, October 30, 2009
Secondly, we
are still asking all Estimators, ADE's, SNBR's and
IPE's to take our 2-minute survey regarding their
willingness to reduce their hours for a fixed
length of time. For example, to work 4 days
per week for the next year. This would be
voluntary, so in order for it to work we need to
show that enough employees would actually do
this. So far 229 employees have taken the
survey, and 2/3 have responded that they would be
willing to reduce their hours by one day a week or
more, but that leaves several hundred who should
still fill out the survey. The more
willingness that we can demonstrate in this area,
the more it will look like a viable option instead
of layoffs. The web address for the survey
is:
Click here for the
survey
Note: The survey is
not for other classifications (mappers, land
department, engineers etc), only for Estimator,
ADE, SNBR and IPE.
ESC Local 20
PG&E Update: 10/29/09
ESC has filed an
unfair labor practice charge against PG&E for
its refusal to provide adequate information
regarding the proposed layoffs. ESC is
demanding detailed proof of lack of work,
PG&E's economic information and PG&E's
work force plan.
We will keep you informed on
the progress of this charge with the National
Labor Relations Board.
In
Solidarity
Joshua Sperry
Senior Union
Representative
To read the
complete charge click here
ESC
Local 20 PG&E Update:
10/28/09
We
continue to receive many calls and emails from
members about the potential layoff and
displacement. Especially with regards to
SNBR and IPE displacement, we are clarifying the
contract language. There will be a
conference call for shop stewards and interested
employees this Friday, October 30, at
3:30pm. Shop stewards will receive the
call-in information by email.
10/27/09: Tentative Agreements
Ratified for Environmental Services and Telecom
Engineers
Both agreements will now be
signed and go into effect, providing 2.5%
Progressive Wage Increases for employees below the
maximum salaries in their classifications
effective November 1, 2009 (retroactively if
the increases are not processed in time for the
first November paycheck).
Negotiations
are still continuing for Outage Coordinators and
Nuclear Professionals.
TELECOM ENGINEERS VOTING
RESULTS
TOTAL
VOTES CAST 13
INVALID/CONTESTED
BALLOTS 0
YES
7
NO 6
Telecom
Engineer LOA
LOA
09-29 Telecom Engineers side
letter
ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES VOTING RESULTS
TOTAL VOTES
CAST 47
INVALID/CONTESTED BALLOTS
1
YES 39
NO 7
Env
Svcs Tentative Agreement
Remediation
Job Descriptions
Env
Operations Job Descriptions
Land
Biology Job
Descriptions
ESC
Local 20 PG&E update #3: Monday, October 26,
2009
We
know that many stewards and members have questions
regarding the layoffs. Our board members and
reps are receiving hundreds of emails, so there
will be some delay in responding but we will get
back to each of you. ESC is planning to meet
with management tomorrow (10/27) to further
discuss the situation, challenge management's case
on lack of work, and work on mitigating the impact
on affected employees.
Joshua
Sperry
Senior
Union Representative
ESC
Local 20 PG&E Update #2: October 22, 2009 at
5:36 p.m.
PG&E to lay
off Estimators, ADE's, SNBR's and IPE's
Management today informed ESC
Local 20 that, due to the continued downturn in
New Business, it intends to proceed with
involuntary layoffs of Estimators, ADE's, Senior
New Business Rep's and Industrial Power
Engineers. ESC is attempting to
mitigate the impact by demanding documentation of
lack of work; proposing voluntary hours reductions
in lieu of headcount reductions; proposing bridge
to retirement for employees with almost enough age
or service to retire; and redeployment to other
positions within the company. ESC has also
raised issues of work jurisdiction and transfer of
work and pointed out that the beginning of storm
season is the worst possible time to be
implementing this action.
Nevertheless, employees should
consult title 22.3 of the contract since "bumping"
is certain to occur.
There will be a conference call
for all Shop Stewards in Estimating and Service
Planning Friday 10/23 at 3:30pm to provide more
details on the magnitude and impacts of
management's plan. Shop stewards - please
check your email for details.
If you are a shop steward and
don't get the email, please contact your local
union rep or unit board officer.
ESC Local 20
PG&E Update: October 22, 2009
ESC Local 20 is meeting again
with senior management from Technical Services
today. We expect them to present their
position on further headcount reductions based on
lack of work in New Business. The Union will
do everything possible to mitigate the impact on
members; we are proposing job-shares and voluntary
reductions in hours as alternatives to
layoffs. We do not expect a final decision
today since this is the first time we will see
management's initial position. Expect
further updates as soon as more information is
available.
In
solidarity,
John Mader,
PG&E Unit
President
Joshua Sperry, Senior Union
Representative
Tim Brock, Executive Vice
President
Joel Foster, Vice President,
Divisions
ESC
Local 20 at PG&E Update:
9/28/09
The
Benefit re-opener table settlement was ratified on
9/23/09. See previous update for details.
The
2009 Contract was signed last week. Attached is a
PDF version of the 2009 Contract. Printed copies
will be available later. The format of the
agreement is changing. Due to the number of
exhibits the main contract s shall consist of the
cover letter, contract
titles 1-28 and system wide exhibits A (Wages),
EX. C (Hiring Hall),EX. D (Job Descriptions), EX.
E (Educational assistance), EX J (severance
program) and Ex. P (alternative work schedules).
All other exhibits will be published in an
electronic format. Expect that they will be
available soon.
Click here for the ESC-PG&E
2009 Contract
The
meeting to discuss safe access training has been
moved to after October 19th.
The
Company intends to issue guidelines for access to
electrical equipment that may impede member's
ability to do their jobs.
Reminder:
Members that feel their fire resistant clothing
allowance is not sufficient can challenge their
status as part time or
intermittent. Member
Education: The 2009
Contract has many changes. As part of member
updates some changes will explored in more detail
from time to time. One item that changed was
pension bands. The 2003 Contract provided that
members retired at the top of their rate based on
the pension bands. The pension bands did not
explicitly go high enough to cover the pensionable
income for all members. The Company was capping
the pensionable income for some members based on
the pension bands. The dispute over pension bands
was headed for arbitration. The new 2009 contract
provides that members pensions are based on
pensionable income 30 days prior to retirement.
Let's look at an example. Should a members last
day be January 1 the member would receive the GWI.
Since you must retire on the first day of the
month the retirement date would be February 1.
February 1 is more that 30 days from January 1 so
the GWI would apply to the members pensionable
income. In addition member that retire between
January 1 2010 and February 1 2011 will be
eligible to chose the RMSA retiree medical funding
mechanism during the open enrollment period for
2011.
The
Company has sent a draft change to the DCS service
policy. The Union
has many reservations about expectations expressed
in the policy.
Meetings
will be held on October 12 and 20 between ESC
Local 20 Leadership and PG&E Officers. Future
Officer Meetings will be as required by the 2009
Contract.
Telecom
Engineer new group bargaining will be held
Wednesday 9/30. The big issue is comparable
salaries with other engineering groups.
An
agreement regarding the conversion of Senior New
Business Reps and Industrial Power Engineers from
monthly exempt and weekly paid hourly is expected
by October 1st. Highlights
are:
- Selection
committees continue with title 21.6 language.
- Establish
committee to talk about flextime guidelines and
performance standards.
- Preserve
ability to start day at customer site - with
supervisor approval.
For
now standard hourly conditions apply (with the
exception of 1 and 3 above) October 1, members may
choose a 7, 7:30 or 8 am start time and have a
choice of a 1/2 hour or hour lunch. Conversion
from 15.4 b PWI language to 15.4 a details are
being resolved.
Next
Week meetings: Review Committee, Estimating Best
Practices Committee, ESC Leadership update by the
BRT team.
More
volunteers are needed for the ETP (Estimating
training program), MAP (Mapping training program),
Senior Field Engineering Test, and EAP efforts.
The EAP (employee assistance program) is a vital
program to help members that are having problems.
ESC Local 20's longtime volunteer RQ Lew has
retired.
Last
week a tentative agreement was reached over the
terms and conditions for the Environmental
Services Group. The table
agreement will go out for a vote of the group and
the agreement will become effective if ratified by
majority of the votes cast. Summary
some of the main points of the
agreement:
All
employees will receive General Wage Increases
(3.75% 1/1/2010 and 4% 1/1/2011), regardless if
you are above the salary range
maximum.
Salary
ranges provide for Progressive Wage Increases
(additional to GWI 2.5% in 2009, 2.5% in
2010, 5% every year after until you reach the
maximum salary) for a majority of employees in the
unit.
New
Senior Consulting Environmental Scientist
classification to allow career mobility for former
EPPC employees.
STIP
will be continued same nine box grid
but no further flexibility by supervisors; there
will be a labor/management STIP Committee to
review STIP and hopefully make changes to the
program, starting in 2010.
Job
Descriptions and lines of progression were
established for all classifications, which will
help with clarity of work assignments and
responsibilities in the future.
The
LOA does not meet all of member's expectations;
however it is a step in the right direction.
The committee has worked very long and hard to
reach this point. The bargaining committee
recommends a yes vote on the
agreement.
John
Mader, President PG&E Unit
ESC
Local 20 PG&E Benefits Agreement
Ratified
09/23/2009
Today
the Tellers Committee appointed by the PG&E
Unit Board counted the ballots cast regarding
ratification of the proposed benefits changes for
ESC Local 20 members employed at PG&E.
The Union is
pleased to announce that the Benefits Agreement
was overwhelmingly approved by the membership with
over 660 members casting their votes. The
new provisions regarding benefits will take effect
January 1, 2011.
Click
here for pdf document
NEW SEVERANCE
OFFERING FOR ESTIMATORS, ADE S, SNBR S, IPE S:
9/21/09
ESC
has agreed with Management to offer up to 70
severances to Estimators, ADEs, SNBRs and IPEs in
Energy Delivery, Hydro and Gas T&D. Severance
is 2 weeks per year of severance, plus a base of 4
weeks pay plus $5000, see Exhibit J of the
contract.
Notification with instructions on how to
request an information package will be sent by
management over email,
The
Union is never in
favor of headcount reductions, but in this
economic environment, voluntary severances are
preferable. The
agreement provides that employees shall talk with
their supervisors before signing the severance
election form to determine their release dates.
This is particularly important information for
employees considering retirement.
Click
Here for the LOA
ESC at PG&E Update:
9/21/09
Sr.
Union Representative Peggy Turner continues to be
on medical leave. Organizing and Political
Coordinator Joshua Sperry continues to be upgraded
to Senior Union Representative for the System.
Areas 1, 2, and 3 are being covered by Union
Representative Thelma Dodson except
that:
-1919 Webster covered by Union
Representative Dominic Chan,
-
GO covered by Acting Sr. Union Representative
Joshua Sperry,
-Salinas and Monterey covered
by Union Representative Susan Greenwood.
Members of the PG&E Unit
should have received a ballot recently to vote on
benefits re-opener. The ballots will be counted
this week. Other issues the Union is working on at this
time:
Management has informed the
Union that it
intends to continue with the Distribution Engineer
re-alignment. A Business Managers grievance will
be filed regarding the unilateral changes in work
assignments.
Last week a Business Managers
grievance was filed over members being required to
submit a vacation schedule this late in the year.
If members believe that their supervisors are
being unreasonable about requiring vacation
scheduling contact your Steward.
This week the final version of the
2009-2011 ESC-PG&E Contract will be signed.
Expect a PDF version soon and printed copies to be
available later.
A
business manager grievance was files regarding
changes to the Company intended safe access
policies.
These policies potentially limit member’s
access to energized electrical equipment to the
point of preventing members from doing their jobs.
The Union and
Management will be meeting soon regarding this
potential change in working conditions.
As
required by the relationship agreement the
Union leadership
is meeting company officers. The Union has met with Geisha
Williams, Ed Salas, Mark Johnson, PJ Martinez and
Des Bell. Meetings are scheduled with John Conway,
Randy Livingston and Jim Becker; and Pat Lawicki.
Issues raised continue to focus around staffing,
jurisdiction, new group bargaining, planned
Company changes and contracting.
This week bargaining sessions are
scheduled for the following groups:Outage
Coordinators and Environmental Services. Members
are encouraged to let management know that all
members expect the new groups to be treated
fairly.
Recently management requested
talks regarding the conversion of monthly paid
members to a common March 1 starting in 2010 PWI
date (PWIs: see title 15.4) as provided in the new
contract.
Recently the Union has reviewed the
clothing policy for the Technical Services
organization in Labor Management and, after some
changes, agreed.
The
Board is working on a more detailed report of
Review Committee actions in the board minutes.
Expect more details in the Board minutes for
October.
The
Unit Board recently approved 2 new LOAs soon
regarding Dental PPO coverage and Retiree Medicare
Saving Plan coverage. Currently the Union and management are
negotiating a potential return to work
LOA.
The
Union continues
to discuss the issue of traffic control plans in
Labor Management.
The
Union is piloting
conference call Steward Training for newly
appointed stewards.
Work continues on revamping ETP
and MAP training programs. The Senior FET test is
scheduled to be worked on. Volunteers interested
in working on MAP should contact President John
Mader, those interested in contributing to the
SFET test should contact GC VP Heather Wilson.
John Mader, President PG&E
Unit
August
28,2009
Dear
ESC Local 20 stewards,
The
Union has
received numerous questions and complaints
regarding the directives from management on the
scheduling of “excess vacation.” ESC staff
and leadership have been meeting with PG&E
Labor Relations to try to find a solution to this
dilemma. ESC does not believe that our
contract permits management to require you to use
all your excess vacation at this point in the
year; management has told us they disagree.
The
Union believes
that vacation is an important benefit hard fought
for. The Union
pushes hard for the ability of Members to use
vacation. Some members are not able to use all
their vacation.
As of
Monday, August 31, ESC is still trying to
negotiate an acceptable compromise with PG&E
Management that will clarify the situation.
The Union has informed management that if an
agreement cannot be reached, ESC will use the
grievance procedure to defend its contractual
interpretation that no employees can be required
to schedule excess vacation at this point in the
year, and that all unused vacation in excess of
twice your annual allotment as of 12/31/09 must be
cashed out in February 2010. The Union hopes to finalize this
issue in the near future, either by filing a
system-wide grievance (and informing stewards what
to tell our members), or by issuing a joint
statement or signed Letter of Agreement with
management.
ESC is
aware that management is reviewing its recent
communications and the Union is optimistic that a
clear understanding will be achieved soon and you
will have answers to your questions. In the
meantime, you can continue to report incidents and
updates to your local business reps and unit board
members.
In
solidarity,
Joshua
Sperry, Acting Senior Union
Representative
John
Mader, President, PG&E Unit
August
20, 2009
DCPP Engineers and QV Auditors
ratify Tentative Agreement
70%
YES 30% No
June
29, 2009
Today
ESC Local 20 and PG&E have reached a table
settlement for the benefits re-opener.
After
extensive informational meetings, the table
settlement will be put to the PG&E Unit Board
and then to the members for ratification. Look for
an invitation soon.
The
Highlights of the agreement are:
Increase
to the monthly premium co-pay from 3.75% to 7.5%
for current health plans in 2011.
A new
high deductible PPO plan at 3.75% premium co-pay.
Increased
dental and vision coverage.
Increases
to 401K matching from .50 cents to .60 cents on
the dollar on the first 6% of base pay.
Creation
of retirement medical saving plans that will
provide significant increases to retiree medical
benefits, and the elimination of the cap on
company contributions to retiree medical.
The
re-opener committee recommends ratification of the
table settlement.
John
Mader
President,
PG&E Unit
Mark
Mitchell
Business
Manager, ESC Local 20
Joel
Foster
Vice-President,
Divisions PG&E Unit
Wayne
Ash
Treasurer,
PG&E Unit
Joshua
Sperry
Acting
Senior Business Representative
Click
here for pdf. of Benefits Table
Settlement
PG&E Retirement
Savings Plan
Here is a link
to the Frequently Asked
Questions
JULY 22, 2009
PGE UNFAIR
TO PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES FAQ
ESC’s
campaign for fair treatment for our members who
organized last year is gaining more community
support. Community leaders including elected
officials, environmental organizations and labor
bodies are all standing in solidarity with
us!
The latest supporters
are:
·
State Senator Ellen
Corbett
State Assembly Member
Fiona Ma
San Francisco Supervisor
Eric Mar
San Francisco
Supervisor John Avalos
Alameda
County Central Labor Council
Environmental
Advocacy group “Bay Localize”
San Francisco Labor
Council
State Senator
Joseph Simitian
We
will update the list on the left side of this page
as more supporters sign on.
June 17,
2009 - Distribution Engineer Re-alignment
Update
Last
week PG&E management announced its proposed
unilateral re-alignment of Distribution Engineers
into either Planning, or Operations assignments by
headquarters.
Today
ESC Local 20 met with management to discuss its
intentions. The Union expressed disappointment
that management intended to make this change
without discussions with theUnion or involvement of
Members.
After
listening to the company’s intended changes the
Union demanded
bargaining and submitted its initial counter
proposal which would leave Operations and Planning
responsibilities in each headquarters. In
addition, the Union demanded inclusion of
members on re-alignment committees and the use of
a pilot program before any reorganization is
deployed system-wide.
June
17, 2009
Today,
the ESC Local 20 Benefits Bargaining Committee met
with PG&E Management for several hours.
Management proposed that ESC Local 20 accept the
benefit changes as set forth in the recently
signed Letter of Agreement between IBEW 1245 and
the company.
In the
coming days ESC Local 20 will be closely examining
the particulars of the benefits changes as they
pertain specifically to the ESC Local 20 members
at PG&E.
The
parties are set to reconvene on June 29,
2009.
The
Union was
represented by PG&E Unit President, John
Mader, PG&E Vice President-Divisions, Joel
Foster, PG&E Treasurer, Wayne Ash, Acting
Senior Union Representative for PG&E, Joshua
Sperry and Business Manager, Mark
Mitchell
ESC Prepares to Serve as
Independent Party in NTSB INvestigation Procedure
at PG&E
June 24, 2009
June
24, 2009
ESC says “PG&E Is Mean, Not
Green”
Members
of ESC Local 20 picketed an appearance by PG&E
CEO Peter Darbee as he attempted to promote
PG&E’s “green image” at the Edison Electric
Institute convention – a major electric utility
industry trade convention. Employees
including biologists, environmental engineers,
geologists and other professionals spoke out about
PG&E’s unfair treatment of the green
workforce. Union staff distributed hundreds
of leaflets to convention goers with the message
“PG&E’s ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP… STINKS!”
ESC
will continue to expose the truth of PG&E’s
anti-environmental union-busting until a fair
settlement is reached for the employees in
Environmental Services, Hydro Generation, DCPP and
all other environmentally sensitive
programs. We hope that public awareness of
the situation will convince PG&E to repair
their green image by being fair to the green
employees
Click here for more pictures of
the rally
The rally at 77 Beale
St last Friday was very
successful. Over 100 members attended,
including more than 50 from Diablo Canyon Power
Plant who took their entire day off to make the
trip. Other groups represented were Power
Generation/Hydro, including the Hydro design group
who came out in solidarity, Environmental
Services, Telecom Engineering, Electrical
Engineering, Distribution Engineering, and Service
Planning. Spirits were high and solidarity
was strong as members chanted “Contract NOW!” and
vowed to fight back against PG&E’s plan to
implement its “last, best and final” offer to
Power Generation
employees.
Click
here for more pictures of this
rally
March
10, 2009
Voluntary Severance offering
for active Estimators, Senior Estimators and ADE’s
in Energy Delivery.
LOA
09-06-ESC
On February 17, 2008, the Company
provided notice to ESC that the lease at the
Morgan Hill RMC would not be renewed. The Company
andUnion also
discussed the recent impact of the economic
downturn.
After discussing the effects of the
Morgan Hill closure
and concerns about workload, the Company and the
Union agreed to
initiate a voluntary severance offering. Eligible
employees for the voluntary severance offering are
active Estimators, Senior Estimators and ADE’s in
Energy Delivery, who have more than one year of
service at the time of notification. The number of
severances to be accepted will not exceed 100.
Please
click here for printable pdf. version
February 25, 2009:
SETTLEMENT REACHED IN PG&E OVERTIME
CASE
This summarizes the
settlement reached in the overtime case against
PG&E that was filed on behalf of Senior New
Business Representatives (SNBR), Industrial Power
Engineers (IPE), and Electric and Gas Distribution
Engineers. The terms of the settlement
are:
a. The Distribution Engineers will stay exempt
(meaning they will not get paid
statutory
overtime- beyond
what is in the contract- in the future), and will
instead enjoy the larger raise under their union
contract. In addition, $1 million dollars
will be distributed among the Distribution
Engineers based on a formula derived
from their time worked in the job from 3/23/96 to
the present (minus legal fees to be
set at "up to" 30% plus costs of the litigation
and administering the
settlement);
b. The SNBR/IPEs will be reclassified to hourly
and be paid overtime under state law
(time-and-a-half for hours over 8 in a day, and
over 40 in a week) going forward. The
SNBR/IPE rate of pay will be a straight conversion
of their current salary into an hourly rate
(weekly salary divided by 40). In other
words, for non-overtime hours, the SNBR/IPEs will
be paid at the same hourly rate they get now, and
at least
time-and-a-half for overtime hours. The pool of
money to be divided amongst the SNBR/IPEs will be
$16.25 million dollars based on a formula derived
from their time worked in the job
from 3/23/96 to the present (minus "up to” 30% for
attorneys fees and costs of the litigation and
administering the
settlement);
c. Employees will get notice in the mail and have
an opportunity to object to the settlement.
Notice will be received at their home addresses
some time within the next 1 – 3
months. The court will then have to approve
the settlement. If it is approved, the
employees will receive a form in the mail
that they will need to submit to get paid.
If some employees don't submit their forms, and
there is therefore extra money left over, people
who do submit the forms may get
"up to" a 25% bonus on the amount they are already
receiving (distributed pro rata). If there
is any money left over after that, it will be
distributed to charities that benefit employees,
with half at the company's direction and half
at the
plaintiff
classes' ;
d. The company will pay their share of the FICA
taxes due out of their own pocket, not the funds
described above. This is not always standard
in settlements in these
cases;
e. Anyone who worked in these jobs at any time
from 3/23/96 to now is eligible to participate
unless he or she previously opted out of the
class; and
f. The four class representatives who filed this
case on behalf of the employees will
get additional payments
of $15,000 each (out of the pots of money
described above) for their help in prosecuting
this case. They have been quite involved for
nine years, and this is standard.
Although
subject to a schedule that will be set by the
court, we estimate that the employees should
receive notice of the settlement within the next 1
- 3
months, and the settlement
should be final and carried out in 5
- 8
months ,
unless there are objections to the settlement
which delay the process.
SNBR/IPEs still employed at the company should
start getting paid overtime going
forward in the same time
frame . These are rough
estimates as no actual dates have yet been set by
the court.
Questions
can be directed to the attorneys representing the
employees in the class: Jonathan Siegel,
Daria Dimitroff, Sarah Beard, or Heather Conger at
Siegel & LeWitter at (510)
452-5000.
February 25,
2009:
ESC 2008 GENERAL NEGOTIATIONS TABLE
AGREEMENT
Questions and
Answers
February 24,
2009
|
Question |
Answer |
|
Ratification
|
|
|
What
is the timeline? |
Ballots
were mailed February 3, 2009 and are due back by
February 23, 2009. They
will be validated and counted on February
24. |
|
Where
can I find the complete Table
Agreement? |
http://www/HR/UnionInformation/UnionUpdates.shtml |
|
Benefits |
|
|
What
is a re-opener? |
A
re-opener is when the Company and theUnion come together again
after negotiations are complete to discuss
changes to provisions in the current
agreement.
|
|
Why
are we having a benefits re-opener?
|
In
an effort to better address the complex
issue of rising health care costs, and the
impact of these costs on retirees, active
employees and the Company, while overlaying
the impact of the volatile financial markets on
the retiree medical trust, the parties decided
that additional time was
needed for discussion. During the
re-opener, the parties will be looking at:
- Retiree
Medical
- Active
employee medical, dental and vision
benefits
- Life
Insurance
|
|
When
will the benefits re-opener begin?
|
The
benefits re-opener will begin as soon as
possible once the table agreement is ratified.
|
|
Will
employees be able to vote on benefit
changes? |
Yes,
a ratification vote will be conducted on Benefit
changes resulting from negotiations during the
Benefits
Re-opener. |
|
What
if the employees do not ratify the
changes? |
The
current benefits would remain in place through
the Term of the Labor Agreement, if ratified,
which would be December 31, 2011.
|
|
Does
the pension adjustment for retirees also apply
to surviving spouses? |
Yes,
the pension adjustment will apply to surviving
spouses, beneficiaries, or alternate payees of
those eligible
retirees. |
|
Will
Fidelity advise employees on which mutual funds
to invest in? |
The
following is from the HR
Website:
The following tools are
available at no cost to all plan
participants:
- Fidelity’s
Web site
at www.401k.com features all
kinds of tools and calculators, as well as
information and other retirement savings
resources.
- Financial
Engines®
can help you decide which funds to invest in and
can provide comprehensive, independent financial
advice that is objective and customized to your
life and your goals. To access this tool, go to
www.401k.com and look for the
link to Financial Engines on the home page or
log on directly through www.financialengines.com.
The following is from
Fidelity’s website:
Before investing
in any mutual fund, please carefully consider
the investment objectives, risks, charges and
expenses. For this and other information, call
or write Fidelity for a free prospectus, or view
one online. Read it carefully before you
invest.
|
|
Could
medical cost sharing for active employees be
increased as a result of the benefits
reopener? |
Yes,
that is a possibility. Benefits
are open for negotiations and you will have the
opportunity to vote on any changes.
|
|
Has
the Company’s Executive Benefit Committee
already approved the pension
adjustment? |
Yes,
contingent on
ratification. |
|
If
you are 65 years or older, and are still an
active employee, are you required to join/use
Medicare? |
The
short practical answer is yes. The answer is
definitely yes for the HMOs. Anthem
will not pay the amount Medicare would have
paid.
If you have additional questions, call
the Benefits hotline: 223-2363
or 415 973-2363. |
|
Is
there an automatic cost of living adjustment
(COLA) for
pensioners? |
No,
any pension adjustment must be
negotiated. |
|
How
much is post retirement life
insurance? |
Company
provided post retirement life insurance is
$8000, however, employees may apply to convert
the remainder of their group life insurance
coverage to an individual policy within 31 days
of the date on which coverage
ends. |
|
Vacation |
|
|
How
does a monthly paid salaried employee charge
unanticipated
vacation? |
There
is no charge for vacation taken in increments of
less than four hours. If a
monthly salaried employee takes at least 4 hours
of vacation in a day, all vacation hours taken
in that day will be charged.
|
|
Distribution
Engineers |
|
|
Will
all DE’s receive an equity adjustment
retroactive to January 1,
2009? |
If
the agreement is ratified, on January 1, the
wage rate for Distribution Engineers and
Distribution Engineer Associates will become
comparable with the appropriate pay rate for the
career stage (see salary ranges below).
Employees below the new minimum on
January 1 will receive a pay adjustment to the
appropriate minimum rate.
Employees will get a PWI on their
anniversary date based on the language of 15.4
(b) 2. |
|
How
much will the adjustment
be? |
The
% of the adjustment will vary by individual to
bring each Distribution Engineer or Distribution
Engineer, Associate to the minimum for the
Project Engineer (or Project Engineer,
Associate) salary ranges if individuals are
below the new Distribution Engineer salary
ranges. |
|
What
are the salary ranges for Distribution Engineer,
Project Engineer, and Industrial Power
Engineers? |
The
expected 2009 monthly salaries
are:
Project
Engineer
Associate
$6,100 - $7,817
Journey
$7,625 - $9,679
Industrial
Power Engineers
Journey
$7,355 - $8,970
The
current Distribution Engineer rates escalated by
3.75% are:
Associate $5,940 -
$6,650
DSBN
Eng $6,650 - $8,299
|
|
If
the lawsuit determines that these are non-exempt
(hourly) positions, will our pay be reduced and
will we have to repay any
overage? |
If
the positions become hourly, the pay ranges will
be reduced. We don’t
expect over payments based on the overlap in the
salary ranges. |
|
As
a result of this adjustment Distribution
Engineer’s who are low in the range will receive
a larger increase than those at the top of the
range, eliminating the pay differential based on
experience and time in
position. |
The
adjustment to Distribution Engineer and
Distribution Engineer, Associate pay ranges
stems from the Distribution Engineer Ad-hoc
negotiations established in the 2003 contract.
The Distribution Engineer Ad-hoc met to
negotiate Distribution Engineer and Distribution
Engineer, Associate pay ranges only.
Distribution Engineer and Distribution Engineer,
Associates will be placed in the pay ranges
based on the contract
language. |
|
Job
Bidding |
|
|
Explain
the timing of bids dropping and submission of
new bids. |
If
an employee is placed in a new classification on
a regular basis or if the employee reports to a
new headquarters, all bids and transfers the
employee had on file prior to the effective date
of the new classification or date the employee
reports to the new headquarters will be dropped
that evening. The
employee may submit new bids or transfers the
same day as the status change. Employees are
encouraged to verify their bids and transfers
after a status
change. |
|
Joint
Promotion Selection
Committees |
|
|
Must
all employees with a bid on file be
interviewed? |
No,
for classifications that have a bid code, the
bid list will be reviewed by the joint interview
panel to determine the candidate pool for
interview.
The interview panel is comprised of two
Company representatives and two ESC
representatives.
Selection is based on the best qualified
candidate. |
|
Workload,
Resource Sharing |
|
|
Does
this mean there is no difference between local
headquarters and RMC
work? |
Scope
of work as outlined in Letter Agreement 06-08 is
still in effect. There is
some work that must be performed in the Local
Headquarters. |
|
Can
I be required to work at a different
headquarters
temporarily? |
The
Table Agreement provides that for temporary
needs, the Company may assign employees to work
at another headquarters temporarily or
temporarily move work to another
headquarters.
The
Company agreed to first consider qualified
volunteers before assigning a
non-volunteer. |
|
Why
would I want to take on work from a headquarters
that is working overtime if I am not going to
receive an overtime
opportunity? |
Management’s
objective is to get the work out as quickly,
efficiently, and cost effectively as
possible.
If there is a headquarters that is
working overtime and is still backlogged, work
may be moved to another headquarters that is
underutilized. The
transfer of this work will not automatically
trigger overtime, however, it may be determined
by management that overtime is needed at that
location too. |
|
What
is management’s definition of temporary in the
context of assigning Estimators from RMC’s to
LH’s or vice versa? |
The
length of temporary assignments is outlined in
Title 15 of the Labor
Agreement. |
|
Hiring
Hall Agreement–Exhibit
C |
|
|
Explain
the 1 to 20 ratio for RMC Estimators to trigger
overtime. |
In
RMC’s, one HH employee may be employed without
triggering overtime. In RMC’s
with 20 or more employees, one HH estimator for
every 20 regular Estimators and ADE’s may be
hired without triggering overtime. If the
number of HH Estimators exceeds 1 to 20, the
Company must offer 20% overtime to the
Estimators in the commodity triggered by the
additional HH employee(s).
The
above does not apply:
·
if
the HH employee is replacing an absent employee
or
·
to
local headquarters or
·
to
Mapping classifications.
In
these situations, employing a HH Estimator or HH
Mapper triggers the requirement to offer 20%
overtime to the Estimators/ADE’s or Mappers in
the appropriate commodity in the local
headquarters. |
|
Temporary
Upgrades |
|
|
When
ESC members are upgraded to a higher monthly ESC
classification, will the 5% or bottom of rate
adjustment happen automatically in
SAP? |
No,
the upgrade will not happen automatically.
Supervisors will need to initiate a
Personnel Change Request
(PCR). |
|
What
is considered a higher ESC monthly
classification? |
Company’s
position:
The
salary range maximum of the temporary
classification is higher than the salary range
maximum of the employee’s base
classification.
ESC
position:
If
the salary range of the monthly classification
is great enough to accommodate an increase the
employee assigned to the monthly classification
receives a 5%
increase. |
|
Equity
Adjustments |
|
|
Is
the 2% adjustment for RMC Estimators applied
only when they work at a local
headquarters |
No,
all estimators will now have the same wage
rates. |
|
Miscellaneous |
|
|
Will
there be new copies of the contract
printed? |
Yes. |
|
In
the Table Agreement it refers to Exhibit U as
the Project Manager letter agreement, but U was
already used for another newly organized
group. |
Letter
Agreements for newly organized groups will be
included in the final contract and there will be
no duplication of
letters. |
February 20,
2009:
ANNOUNCEMENT
REGARDING CLOSURE OF THE MORGAN HILL
RMC
PG&E
Unit ESC Members,
Your
ESC Leadership, Staff and PG&E Management met
today, February 20th, to discuss the company's
decision to close the Morgan Hill
RMC.
We
discussed the effects of this closure at length.
No final agreement has been reached as to what
options will be made available to the affected ESC
Local 20 members. The discussion was productive
and more information needs to be gathered in order
to continue discussions next
week.
There
will be further information made available as the
discussion continues.
In
Solidarity,
PG&E
Unit Board and Staff
Summary of 2009-2011 ESC Local 20 –
PG&E
Agreement
General Wage
Increases:
2009: 3.75%; retroactive to January
1, 2009 if the contract is ratified on the first
ballot.
2010: 3.75% effective January 1,
2010
2011: 3.75% effective January 1,
2011; plus additional 0.25% (total 4.0%) if the
contract is ratified on the first ballot.
Health, Dental and Life Insurance
(including retiree medical): Current contribution
percentages remain in place for 2009. Agreed to
re-opener talks on benefits, along with IBEW Local
1245, for 2010 and 2011, any agreement will go to
ESC members for a ratification vote.
Pension Formula: Eliminate pension
bands.
Pension calculated at 1.5% for first 25
years, 1.6% for additional years, based upon
salary 30 days prior to retirement. No income
“cap” or maximum pension.
COLA for current retirees: If
retired before 1990, 5.0%; retired between 1/1/90
and 12/31/97, 3.0%
Tuition Reimbursement: Increased to
$6,000 per year (previously
$5,250).
Equity Increase for GIS Application
Engineer: 5%
Equity Increase for Senior Field
Engineering Techs: 3.6%
Implementation of the Distribution
Engineer Pay Memorandum of Understanding
Ad-hoc negotiations: Uniform Monthly
paid PWI date and discussions regarding Senior
Distribution Engineer
classification.
RMC, CGT and Water Estimator Line of
Progression: 2% increase. Increased ability for
rotation of RMC estimators work.
Clarifications to workload and resource
sharing provisions.
Hiring Hall: Will be open to all ESC
Local 20 classifications except lead
classifications. Revised
DCS overtime application for RMC
Estimators.
Other areas with
changes:
Meals
Holidays
Vacation
Personal Vehicle
Use
Job Bidding and Transfer
System
Promotion from Design
Engineer to Senior Design
Engineer
ESC
Local 20 is planning at least 15 member meetings
around the system in all areas for discussion and
clarification. Members
are encouraged to attend a meeting close to
you. The vote
count will be on February 23, 2009. The bargaining
committee and the PG&E Unit Board recommend a
YES vote to ratify the
agreement.
| | | | |
