Retiree Jack Hill recently told the following story about how McCauley helped bring an end to a late-night negotiating session with PG&E in the 1970s:

We were at the tail end of negotiations, about 10 at night, and we were down to money issues. And we were arguing over ¼ of 1% in a general wage increase.

McCauley stands up and turns around to Ed Vallejo and says, “Give me a quarter.” Ed hands him a quarter. Jim turns around. Wayland Bonbright was spokesman for the company, and Jim took the quarter over to Bonbright and says, “Flip the quarter, heads we get it, tails we don’t get it, but it’s 10:30 at night and let’s get out of here.”

So he gives Bonbright the quarter and (the company negotiators) go out and caucus and they’re gone for about an hour. They come back and Bonbright says, “OK we’re going to give you that ¼ of 1% on one condition.” And we thought, oh hell, here comes the hook. And he says “I get to keep your quarter.”

Three or four years later, when we went back to negotiate again, the first time we met, Bonbright sits across the table. And scotch-taped to the front of his big binder he had, there’s that quarter!