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STAFF REPORTS
APRIL 2024
Well, the first quarter of 2024 is in the books and we are still swamped at the Hall.
At Avista Utilities, we sent a wage opener proposal out to the membership and will be counting the ballots on March 29th, 4% GWI for one year. We will be opening this agreement to bargain a successor agreement towards the end of 2024. It expires March 31, 2025. Other than that, things are quiet.
At EWEB we are still having issues interpreting some of the new language in the new contract. We will be receiving a negotiated wage increase of 3.5% on April 1, 2024.
For our Line Clearance Tree Trimmers (LCTT) working on Pacific Power property, things are still busy. We are scheduled to meet with the contractors again on April 2nd and 3rd. We received a response from the contractors with regard to our last economic proposal. It amounts to GWI of 4.25%, 5.25% and 6% with a 2% increase for Foremen and Journeymen who hold a CDL and a Commercial Applicators License beginning in year two. We still have a lot of work to do in order to come to a reasonable agreement. We still have about eighteen outsource crews in the area working for Asplundh and Trees, LLC. We had a contractor not wanting to provide paper paystubs for employees in Oregon. We had to educate them on ORS 652.610 (1) (c) as well. Once we educated them, they agreed to provide paper stubs for those employees who want them. We had another contractor move crews to four tens without mutual agreement and had them put the crews back on their desired shift of five eights.
For our Line Clearance Tree Trimmers working for Davey Tree and West Lane Tree on EWEB property, we have sent out a proposed successor agreement for the membership to vote on. Without getting into the details the overall increase, depending on classification, is between 16.5% and 19% for a three-year agreement. We will be counting the ballots on April 11th.
For our Line Clearance Tree Trimmers working for Asplundh on CPI property, things are going well. We will be bargaining this one this year and expect to send out surveys around June.
As Always, Stay Focused and Stay Safe.
Don McElroy
don@ibew659.org
541-601-0863
The majority of my month I have been preparing for negotiations with Avangrid in Klamath Falls, who recently voted to become Union. We have sent out information requests to the company, and we have reached out to our international office for the same. I have sent out a survey to our members at Avangrid’s for the selection of the negotiation committee, and I am also working on creating a CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) for their first negotiation. Avangrid's management has exhibited staunch opposition to unionization efforts, and we have filed a ULP (Unfair Labor Practice) against them. They are retaliating against employees who were helping lead the unionizing efforts. They have added excessive work duties, low bonus attainment, and held promotions that were due to take place. We are in constant communication with the members and bringing up the actions that the company is demonstrating against them now that they are unionized and that we are fighting for them all the way.
I also have been preparing for negotiations with the City of Bandon’s Clerical group. We are trying to put something together that works for the city hall employees and the library employees. The library is funded separately and not through the general fund, so it’s tougher to ask for the same increases abroad.
We have also sent out support letters to some of our utilities that are submitting requests for grants available for the Grid Resilience Innovation Partnership Program. The funding would support additional work for our members.
Stay safe!
Mike Meek
mikemeek@ibew659.org
458-220-6779
Central Lincoln PUD:
We have come to an agreement that was voted on and ratified by the members of Central Lincoln. The main points around wages and benefits are as follows:
- A four-year contract, 5% 2024, 5% 2025, a true up in wages in 2026 with a 5% increase and a 5% 2027.
- Medical benefits for employees are a 95/5 % split, and a 90/10 % split for dependents. The same applies to retiree’s benefits as well.
- FR clothing was increased for the outside/inside departments from $650 to $750. New hire was increased from $775 to $1,000.
- Bereavement Leave of up to 30hrs has been added to the CBA.
- Standby Time Pay will be 19% on all days that do not have a holiday. Holiday Standby Time Pay will be 27.5% on a workday or weekend.
The process of making sure that all past Letters of Agreement (LOA’s) are in the new agreement is diligently being done so nothing is missed moving forward. All signed LOA’s should be in Central Lincoln’s intranet along with being in the Unions Archives.
After having a conversation with Jeff Anderson (our local president) concerning electing when it is actually an appointed position to be on the LMC. There are two ways we could go about this. There could be a vote to elect your negotiation committee, but this comes with the cost of training through the Employment Relations Board (ERB) for the Intra Based Bargaining (IBB) process and could be that not all classification will be represented. The second is to “appoint” people to the LMC, so there is no redundancy in training. With this, it would still be an appointment, meaning the President of the local can remove a member(s) when it comes to being on the LMC.
Outside Line Construction:
For the most part, things are going well with the outside group.
There was an issue with two members working in supervisory roles for 1884 Line Co. Upon investigating alongside 1884 Line Co. the two members resigned from their positions before action was taken by 1884 Line Co. Along with the resignation, there was a wrongful termination that was resolved swiftly and the member is back to work.
Our Business Manager, Nick Carpenter, has appointed three (3) Shop Stewards to this project; Curtis Hoy, Alex Wecker and Jason Dutton. Although these members are new to the role of Shop Steward there will be a Shop Steward training that will be held Thursday, September 5th through Saturday, September 7th at the Mill Casino. On a further note, YOU DO NOT have to be a Shop Steward to participate in the training. This is great knowledge to know what the duties are associated with being a Shop Stewards.
“United We Stand”
James Davidson
james@ibew659.org
458-220-6416
LU 659 Brothers and Sisters, for the month of March
Mike and I recently had a pre-negotiating meeting with Avangrid. Mike will provide further details on this in due course. Additionally, Mike, Ray Lister (I.O. SOC for P&I organizing), and I met with Mercy Hospital for one final time before their scheduled election. While there seemed to be positive momentum, some individuals had lingering hesitations. However, we were confident in our numbers for the election. Unfortunately, a week later, we received word from the Volunteer Organizing Coordinator (VOC) that the company's scare tactics and anti-union efforts had eroded support for unionization. As a result, they requested that we withdraw the petition and cancel the election. A silver lining in this situation is that by withdrawing before the election, should circumstances change, they can seek unionization again after just six months.
Johnny and I attended a License Enforcement roundtable at LU 280's training center in Tangent. Alongside representatives from neighboring locals, we voiced our concerns regarding the lack of enforcement in our area.
Ballots have been sent out for the Hunter Communications group's election to become represented by LU 659, and we anticipate knowing the election results by our next meeting. The group's continued unity in its decision to organize is encouraging.
We encourage you to drive individuals you talk with interested in organizing their workplace to visit the new "Need a Union" tab on our website and the "Why Be Union" tab.
Johnny and I also participated in the COMET (Construction Organizing Membership Education Training) train-the-trainer session in Milpitas, CA. On April 2nd, we will impart this training to the 4th-year Inside Apprenticeship students and plan to extend it to Outside Line and Powerline Clearance Tree Trimming Apprenticeships later this year.
The RENEW program is actively seeking more participants. To enhance participation across all groups, Zoom links will now be sent out prior to the meetings. If you wish to be added to the RENEW program text group, please get in touch with Ryan via email or phone.
Lastly, IBEW LU 659 will be hosting its inaugural car show and shine in collaboration with the Southern Oregon Speedway on April 20th, 2024, at 4480 Rogue Valley Hwy from 10 am to 1 pm. If you're interested in participating, kindly email me at ryan@ibew659.org to reserve your spot ahead of time.
In solidarity,
Ryan Smith
Membership Development Rep.
ryan@ibew659.org
(541) 326-9185
Hey Everyone,
Another busy month has flown by, and things are moving quickly. Locally, work with our contractors is still slow, but it looks like things might pick up come summer. On the bright side, we've managed to keep our members willing to travel to get work out of LU 48 and LU 112. If you're up for traveling, shoot me a message, and I'll do my best to get you to work.
Earlier in the month, we sent a couple of members to the Electrical Contractors Business Course at LU 48. It was a hit, and I reckon it was one of the best classes I've attended in my fifteen years as an Inside Wireman. Basically, it's a crash course on starting your own Union Electrical shop, covering everything you need to know, including startup costs. If it comes around again next year, I'd highly recommend it to anyone thinking about starting their own Union Electrical Business.
Mid-month, I attended a License Enforcement meeting in Tangent, Oregon. It was a good opportunity to talk directly to the new Manager of License Enforcement about the lack of action in Southern Oregon since Mike Weaver left. They seemed to understand where we were coming from and our frustrations with the lack of enforcement in our area. I'm working on setting up a meeting down here, so everyone can vent their frustrations and come up with a plan that will help us all. Hopefully, this meeting will be another step in the right direction.
Lastly, I just wanted to say thanks for all the involvement lately. I'm getting a ton of calls from you all every day, and our Unit meetings have been filled with good discussions during and after the meetings themselves. Let's keep it up. If you've got any thoughts or ideas, reach out to me or us. And remember, keep showing up to the meetings to stay in the loop and keep that Brotherhood alive.
Thanks, everyone!
Johnny Walker
johnny@ibew659.org
541-601-0843
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