From the trenches
           Reports from your Business Reps

Unit 8 (Clerical)—By now, if you are in the class of Sr. Clerk, Sr. Clerk Typist, or Sr. Clerk Stenographer, you should have received a copy of the Letter of Agreement Re: Senior Clerical Positions. The full provisions of that Agreement went into effect Nov. 20. We have had several joint meetings and, hopefully, answered the majority of the questions out there. • We are now in the process of setting up committees to renegotiate the Clerical Bid Plan and establishing a a Joint L/M Clerical Training Review Committee. These committees will deal with issues covering more than just the Sr. Clerical classes. • We are still working on provisions for Part Time Civil Service Clerical employees, and are near completion on several issues. We should be able to appoint some part time clerical employees from the Civil Service lists in the near future. • The CSR Realignment Committee continues to meet weekly, but progress is very slow.

Units 8 and 18 (Clerical/Supervisory & Administrative)—Several people have been asking for assistance in the area of ergonomics. The Department’s contract for ergonomic services expired, but they are in the process of putting together a new contract. As soon as that is in place, Water System employees will be trained. At the same time, the Owens Valley has taken matters into their own hands and is looking for someone to train the employees up there. In September, the Joint L/M Committee on Worker Safety recommended to the Joint Resolution Board that the DWP Corporate Safety Section hire an employee with ergonomic expertise to work in conjunction with DWP business units and the Joint Safety Institute. The recommendation was accepted and Local 18 and DWP management signed the agreement in October. Please look elsewhere in the Surge for the list of employees who are able to assist with ergonomics.

Unit 9 (Steam Generation)—What to do with the Tank Farm? That is the question that management is asking right now. The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) calls for the construction of five peaking units at Harbor Generating Station. This has sent management looking for room to build. There is still talk of utilizing part of the Marine Tank Farm, so where does that leave the rest of it? There doesn’t seem to be a clear answer to that question. We have not had any discussions to date of the future of the Tank Farm. We do know that if the Department wants to keep operating it, there will have to be some capital improvements. The uncertainty of the future of the Tank Farm is wearing on our members there. We hope that management will make a decision soon to alleviate this stressful situation. Rest assured that we will be meeting on the impact to our members. Attention to this aging resource is long overdue.

Unit 13 (Automotive)—The new computer system has raised many questions about timekeeping. Management has been informed that this is not to be used as a time clock. The MOU does not provide for time clocks and any change of working conditions must be negotiated. We have been assured that the timekeeping function will not be used as such. If you use the scanner to open and close jobs then the computer will keep track of your time automatically; if you don’t use the scanner then you can input your time manually, as with the DEC system. To keep supervision from questioning your time, we recommend that you input it manually. This will eliminate the few minutes that you are not logged onto a job during the day and the scrutiny that would come of it.

Unit 14 (Transportation)—Discussion about crane issues is continuing with JLMC. Management has sent a memorandum regarding crane operation of greater than 15-ton capacity by the DWP. If additional questions need to be answered in order to comply with this directive, please contact Business Rep Reuben Espinosa at (213) 387-8274, ext. 113.

Units 15/20 (Pasadena)—Implementation of the 2000-2003 contract has gone smoothly with just a few problems arising. There was some question about how the new “administrative day off” would work, but that has been resolved. Application procedure will be the same as for vacations. • There was some question about how to obtain reimbursement for safety classes (now at $200). As in the past, you will get a form from your supervisor, fill it out, attach the receipt and forward it to the City Safety Officer. • The Unit 15 Holiday Party will be Dec. 6, 4:15 pm at the American Legion Hall, 179 N. Vinedo, Pasadena.

Unit 19 (Electrical Station Maintenance/Elect. Mechs.)—The Electrical Substation Maintenance and Construction Forces Joint Labor/Management Committee is now meeting monthly to resolve problems and address issues that arise in the substations. To bring an issue before the committee, contact the member representing your location or section: Richard Bongeorno, EM/WLA; Stan Deichen, EM/Construction; Fernando Hernandez, EM/Truesdale; Dave Huff, EM/Metro/South; Ernie Salas, MCH/Building Repair & Paint Section. • A labor/management committee has been set up in the General Shops to resolve the ongoing problems with the AOTL (Accumulative Overtime Log). The committee is considering alternative methods for zeroing or adjusting the AOTL at the end of each year. No plan has been agreed upon yet, but when the committee reaches an agreement we will bring it before all General Shops personnel (electrical and mechanical) for concurrence.

Units 19B and 60 (Mechanical Shops/Generating Station Crafts/FMBG/Waterworks Mechanics)—Two turbine-generator overhauls are being performed by General Shops at this time: Castaic Unit 3 and Harbor Unit 5. Both are on schedule and within budget. The Harbor Unit 5 project is the first time DWP employees have overhauled a combined cycle unit, and shops employees had to use their ingenuity to “pull the rotor.” They were very successful. This is just another example of the skills, ability and knowledge of the General Shops employees. They are unmatched by any outside contractor. • FMBG has elevated four “B” Level Building Repairers to the “A” Level DDR. Congratulations to the successful candidates. • General Construction Section continues to slowly build up its annual rated work force. We need to form a safety committee and we are looking for volunteers. We also need shop stewards. If you would like to volunteer for either, please contact Hank at (213) 387-8274, ext. 107. • A new shop steward has been appointed; he is Dennis Dorsey, Haynes GS.

Unit 24 (Water Supply)—Water Treatment Operators are concerned with an additional duty that has been assigned by management: tank cleaning. The Operators are concerned with safety, and a grievance is being filed by the Water Treatment Operator Group.

Unit 52 (Owens Valley)—At the last Unit meeting, the following officers were appointed: Don Kunze, chairman; Tim Dunn, vice chairman; Nancy Fullingim, secretary. The next Unit officers election will be held in October 2001.• Chairman Don Kunze has set up the Unit dinner meeting for Dec. 20, 6:30pm, at Rossi’s in Big Pine. Please RSVP no later than Dec. 11 to Adele Pratt at (760) 873-0233.

Unit 52A (Mojave)—Due to an excess work load, Unit meetings have been suspended until March. A major renovation of the Red Rock Tunnel is taking place due to problems such as the ceiling caving in and holes in the walls. Also, a lot of work is going on at Grapevine Canyon because part of the top caved in during the roadwork portion of the job. • Congratulations to Sr. Clerk Typist Judy Fuentes and Labor Supervisor Mike Daughtry for their second place finish in the Fifth Annual IBEW Photo Contest. The photo, shot by Mike and submitted by Judy, will be published in the forthcoming IBEW Journal.

Unit 53 (Water Quality and Distribution)—Labor Relations has found some answers to issues raised at our last Water Utility Worker/Water Service Worker subcommittee. We hope to set up a meeting with the subcommittee and Labor Relations as soon as possible. We are also stressing to management the need for more staffing.

Unit 55 (Communications)—In the last Surge, we reported that we believed some EAA employees were doing jobs that are normally under our jurisdiction. Through mutually cooperative meetings with Division management, including engineering, we were able to identify and resolve several issues that were causing concern. Many thanks to Shop Steward Carlos Saldana for spearheading the effort resulting in an agreement that was satisfactory to all involved.

Unit 64 (Azusa)—Local 18 and management are discussing which degrees and certificates will be acceptable for monetary payment as per the new MOU. If you have any input on this issue, please contact your negotiating committee as soon as possible.

Unit 65 (County Sanitation District)—The one-man shift is still being discussed. Your committee has been working hard to bring all your concerns to the table. The first and foremost concern of Local 18 and the District is personnel safety. Staffing levels, shift schedules and duties at PERG and PV/Spadia have also been discussed. Local 18 is also concerned about the term “unattended” in regards to Title 8 Boiler Code; OSHA is very strict on competent attendance.