Dear ESC members at PG&E,

REMINDER—ESC ANNUAL MEETING FOR PG&E MEMBERS

 

ESC Local 20’s Annual PG&E Members Meeting

is this Saturday October 3

8:30am – coffee and pastries

9:00am – meeting begins

12:00 – lunch

1:00pm – LEAP poker tournament

 

Please RSVP if you have not already to esc@ifpte20.org or 415-543-8320.

 

ESC at PG&E Update: 9/28/09

 

The Benefit re-opener table settlement was ratified on 9/23/09. See previous update on our website for details.

 

The 2009 Contract was signed last week. PDF version of the new contract is being posted on our website www.ifpte20.org/pge/html this week. Printed copies will be available later. The format of the agreement is changing. Due to the number of exhibits the main contract s shall consist of the cover letter,  contract titles 1-28 and system wide exhibits A (Wages), EX. C (Hiring Hall),EX. D (Job Descriptions), EX. E (Educational assistance), EX J (severance program) and Ex. P (alternative work schedules). All other exhibits will be published in an electronic format. Expect that they will be available soon.

 

The meeting to discuss “safe access training” has been moved to after October 19th.

The Company intends to issue guidelines for access to electrical equipment that may impede member’s ability to do their jobs.

 

Reminder: Members that feel their fire resistant clothing allowance is not sufficient can challenge their status as part time or intermittent.

 

The Company has sent a draft change to the DCS service policy. The Union has many reservations about expectations expressed in the policy.

 

Meetings will be held on October 12 and 20 between ESC Local 20 Leadership and PG&E Officers. Future Officer Meetings will be as required by the 2009 Contract.

 

Telecom Engineer new group bargaining will be held Wednesday 9/30. The big issue is comparable salaries with other engineering groups.  

 

An agreement regarding the conversion of Senior New Business Rep’s and Industrial Power Engineers from monthly exempt and weekly paid hourly is expected by October 1st.  Highlights are:

  • Selection committees continue with title 21.6 language.
  • Establish committee to talk about flextime guidelines and performance standards.
  • Preserve ability to start day at customer site - with supervisor approval.

For now standard hourly conditions apply (with the exception of 1 and 3 above) October 1, members may choose a 7, 7:30 or 8 am start time and have a choice of a 1/2 hour or hour lunch. Conversion from 15.4 b PWI language to 15.4 a details are being resolved.

 

Next Week meetings: Review Committee, Estimating Best Practices Committee, ESC Leadership update by the BRT team.

 

More volunteers are needed for the ETP (Estimating training program), MAP (Mapping training program), Senior Field Engineering Test, and EAP efforts. The EAP (employee assistance program) is a vital program to help members that are having problems. ESC Local 20’s longtime volunteer Reynaldo Quides has retired.

 

Last week a tentative agreement was reached over the terms and conditions for the Environmental Services Group.   The table agreement will go out for a vote of the group and the agreement will become effective if ratified by majority of the votes cast.  Summary some of the main points of the agreement:

 

  • All employees will receive General Wage Increases (3.75% 1/1/2010 and 4% 1/1/2011), regardless if you are above the salary range maximum.
  • Salary ranges provide for Progressive Wage Increases (additional to GWI – 2.5% in 2009, 2.5% in 2010, 5% every year after until you reach the maximum salary) for a majority of employees in the unit.
  • New Senior Consulting Environmental Scientist classification to allow career mobility for former EPPC employees.
  • STIP will be continued – same nine box grid but no further flexibility by supervisors; there will be a labor/management “STIP Committee” to review STIP and hopefully make changes to the program, starting in 2010.
  • Job Descriptions and lines of progression were established for all classifications, which will help with clarity of work assignments and responsibilities in the future.

 

The LOA does not meet all of member’s expectations; however it is a step in the right direction.  The committee has worked very long and hard to reach this point. The bargaining committee recommends a “yes” vote on the agreement.