‘Get with the program or turn in your badges’

by Jim Barham, Joint L/M Committee Administrator

The largest, best attended All-Coms meeting was held Dec. 8 at the JFB. Committee reports outlined the progress that has been made in many areas and outlined the tasks still at hand, while the heads of the Department of Water and Power and Local 18 both made it clear that the L/M process is not an option to be considered or rejected, but rather the way we work at the DWP.

“I want to see more cooperation by management with the Labor/Management program,” DWP General Manager David Freeman told the assembled L/M committee members. “Get with the program or turn in your badges.”

Local 18 Business Manager Brian D’Arcy agreed and reiterated Local 18’s long commitment to the L/M program.

Some of the highlights from the reports included the following:

• Worker Safety Groups have actively promoted safety training. This has resulted in a decline in lost-time injuries.

• The Water System group reported progress on a variety of issues, and increase L/M activity, especially in the Owens Valley, which was late in getting their committees going but has made up for it with their recent involvement.

• Priority Staffing reported that while some progress has been made in restaffing the Department, staffing levels are still not what they should be. Annemarie Cavallaro reported that the clerical realignment, which the committee has been working on for over a year, has recently gone into effect.

• John Schumann reported on the issues facing In-Basin Generation and emphasized that labor/management cooperation has been at the core of Generation’s recent success.

It was my first meeting in my new capacity as L/M Committee Administrator, and I was a bit nervous to be at the front table instead of in the seats. But I want to express my enthusiasm for the work of the committees to date, and my commitment to the process we have put in place to make sure that the DWP continues to be a first-rate public utility, a benefit to the people of Los Angeles who own it, and a safe and productive livelihood for the 6000+ of us who run it.