L/M subcommittees...“nuts and bolts”

by Local 18 President Frank Miramontes

In the last issue, I talked about the seven Joint Labor/Management Standing Committees and listed the current members. In this issue I want to focus on the level where most of the nuts-and-bolts tasks of information gathering and issue raising gets done: the L/M subcommittees.

A review of the “From the Trenches” column in any Surge issue will give some indication of the scope of the subcommittees. Some, like the Plant Committees at the in-basin generating stations or the worker safety subcommittees that are being formed throughout the system, are permanent fixtures, charged with reviewing problems and concerns that may arise at a facility. Ideally, they function as the first level of review and attempt to resolve issues as they arise at the grass roots level. Other subcommittees may be established to study a particular issue, perhaps a proposed class consolidation.

Whether they are permanent or temporary, the subcommittees are the heart of the labor/management process. They are where issues arising from the rank and file members are articulated, problems are identified, and the creative energy of the workforce is expressed.

When we select members for these committees, we try to bring in articulate, energetic members who represent every sector of the workforce and who can bring a thorough knowledge of the day-to-day work experience to the committee.

It is up to every Local 18 member to make this process work. Each of us should make an effort to know what committees are functioning in our Units and work areas and who is on those committees.