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From the trenches... Reports from your Business Reps A memorial for Ernie Vega was held Oct. 24 at the Hall. Many people from throughout the community came to share their memories and feelings, to celebrate his life and mourn his untimely death. We will all miss him. Unit 1 (Electrical Distribution/Transmission/Trouble/Street Lights)--There is a new training program in place. It is called the Lineman/Splicer program. It will replace the Electric Distribution Mechanic Trainee program. There will be an “A” and a “B” session that will be from 12 to 24 months long. The steps 1 thru 5 of the program will be 33 months long. Trainees will not be trained on lead under the new program. It will concentrate more on the overhead discipline with some synthetic cable splicing training. We would like to thank the members of the Electric Distribution Mechanic Trainee Committee who worked hard over the last several years to put this program together. They are James Hafner, John Blondeel-Timmerman, Stuart McCloud, and Paul Gonzales. We would also like to thank the members of Unit One who came to meetings and participated in the discussions about the issues that were involved in the new program. Unit 2 (Electric Station Operators)—We did not appreciate the tone of an Oct. 1 memo from B. E. Glenn mandating immediate management review of written switching plans. The memo referred to “the recent increase in switching errors.” The fact is that there have been five switching errors this year, half of what we had three years ago, in spite of the fact that we lost 41 operators in the SRP and everyone is working twice as much. Of course safety is always a major concern, and we should always strive for improvement, but our operators are doing a good job, and this memo was a slap in the face for the labor/management process, which has significantly improved on-the-job safety. Unit 8 (Clerical)—We have completed the realignment of pay levels within the Clerk and Clerk Typist classifications. From now on all positions in those classes will be compensated at the “A” level. Job duties will be adjusted accordingly...We have started meeting on realignment for senior level clerical. We hope to have a recommendation regarding Sr. Clerk Typist pay levels to the Joint Resolution Board by January...After completion of pay level realignments, we will start working on the Clerical Bid Plan. Please send any suggestions to Annemarie or Shawn...We are working with the Customer Service Business Unit on modifications to the bulletin requirements for the CSR exam...CSBU management is also meeting with us to create three new DDRs for part time CSR positions, which will allow for the provision of additional benefits. Units 8 and 18 (Clerical/Supervisory & Administrative)—A Clerical Worker Safety Subcommittee, along with an ergonomist, conducted a walkthru of serveral work locations in Integrated Support Services and Financial Services. The ergonomist is developing training classes which will be tailored to needs identified in the walkthru. An in-depth four-hour training class was given to key clerical personnel on Nov. 3, with training for the rest of the employees scheduled throughout November. They key personnel will be available to act as resources in the workplace in the future...A two-day Safety Seminar was held Nov. 2 and 3 for clerical union members. Unit 9 (Steam Generation)—A Sept. 17 incident at Valley Generating Station left 73,000 people without power for a short time. The incident seems to have been the result of a faulty relay operation while operators were investigating a DC ground. This incident may point to a weakness in the system that can be fixed. We are starting a Joint L/M Incident Investigation Subcommittee at VGS and expect to expand it to include the other steam plants as well. Unit 14 (Transportation)—Drivers, operators and supervisors along with some clerical personnel attended a Saturday CPR Certification class. Over 50 people attended...Drivers and operators as well as some supervisors and managers attended a two-day Worker Safety Group seminar given by Karl Leist of Safety Peak Performance. The workshop focused on core safety skills and worker safety group tours. Units 15/20 (Pasadena)—The Christmas Party will be Wednesday, Dec. 1 at the American Legion Hall. Please RSVP to the Hall. Unit 18 (Supervisory Clerical/Administrative)—We will schedule a unit meeting for February. Send your ideas for topics to be discussed to Annemarie. Unit 19 (Electrical Station Maintenance/Elect. Mechs.)--Substation Operations and Maintenance management has handed down the following decisions in regard to the jurisdiction of work between ESM and Electrical Construction when all things are normal: 1. ESM will do the maintenance and replacement of all voltage regulators; 2. In Industrial Stations (ISs) transformers 5000 KVA and below will go to ESM and transformers above 5000 KVA will go to Electrical Construction...An effort to secure alternate work schedules for ESM is in progress. Your shop stewards have circulated petitions, and the next step is to meet with management of each work location to determine if there is any reason not to proceed with a 9/80 shift. Unit 19B (Mechanical Shops/Generating Station Crafts/FMBG)—ISS is looking into several consolidations of classifications and reestablishing classifications that have disappeared over the years...Manpower problems in ISS continue. New hires are not keeping pace with the increased backlog, due to management’s lack of vision over the last year and their failure to keep lists current. Unit 22 (Electric Service Reps)—Chief ESR Ron Smith has submitted a proposal for a new service planning process. Ron talked with upper management and Brian D’Arcy and has agreement for the concept, although there are still outstanding issues to be discussed within the union and with management. Units 24 and 53 (Water Supply/Water Quality and Distribution)—Both groups have attended the two-day Safety Principles and Leadership Skills workshop and are now going out to the field as Worker Safety Groups to promote open communication and mutual trust and respect between labor and management on issues of Health and Safety, and to continuously improve the workplace to prevent injuries and illnesses...We are in the process of setting up local committees in these two units to deal with specific issues in the workplace. Unit 50 (Burbank)— VEBA ballots are currently out. If you haven’t received one please contact the hall as soon as possible. The ballots will be counted at the Officers’ and Stewards’ Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Unit 52 (Owens Valley)—A water division Joint L/M Subcommittee is being formed in Independence...The Joint Resolution Board is investigating an upgrade for Labor Supervisors...The unit Christmas Party will be Dec. 15 at Rossi’s Steak House in Big Pine. To make a reservation, call Unit Chair Kevin McDonough at (760) 878-3018. Unit 64 (Azusa)—We reminded everyone that negotiations are coming up and asked for a wish list. There was an excellent response. The unit chair and his committee will review and prioritize the proposals. Unit 65 (County Sanitation District)—A grievance has been filed regarding a number of discrepancies brought to our attention concerning personnel assigned as rovers in the Energy Recovery Unit. We are presently waiting for a meeting to be scheduled for Second Step. Stay tuned! |
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To report a change of address, keep your dues current while you are out on disability, contact your Rep or make a reservation for your Unit’s Dinner Meeting, call the Union at (213) 387-8274 (voice) or (213) 739-6937 (fax)
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