After seven months of negotiations, City of Lompoc employees gained their first labor agreement under the IBEW 1245 flag.
On Nov. 20 the employees voted 89 to 0 to ratify the agreement that was negotiated by the employees’ new bargaining committee, assisted by IBEW 1245 Assistant Business Manager Ray Thomas and Business Representative Pat Duffy. On Dec. 17, the Lompoc City Council approved the Memorandum of Understanding, as labor agreements are referred to in the public sector.
Gary Silbaugh, left, and Dave Paretti signed people in and handed out ballots for the ratification vote. Photos by Pat Waite
“We could not have achieved this first Memorandum of Understanding at the City of Lompoc without the leadership of both Chief Shop Steward Jaime Tinoco, and Business Representative Pat Duffy,” said Thomas. “Along with incredible support from our negotiating committee members, Jaime and Pat kept the employees updated every step of the way during negotiations.”
Employee representatives on the union’s negotiating committee, in addition to Tinoco, were Shop Stewards Shawn Wynne, Gary Silbaugh, Travis Kalin, and Dave Paretti, along with Adrienne Boyd.
Susan Sitzler, left, John Daniel, middle, Steve Mickelson were the two tellers and judge respectively who tallied the ballots and documented the official vote.
After seven years of work furloughs, no salary increases, and CalPERS employee contributions, City of Lompoc employees finally received some help from the City in the 18-month MOU, which is effective July 1, 2013 to the end of 2014. Items obtained through bargaining included:
- 1% COLA
- 5% increase in base pay in exchange for 6% EPMC
- No more furloughs (84 hours per year)
- Doubling of stand-by pay (2 hours pay for every 8 hours of stand-by)
- Increase in meal money (from approximately $9 to $20)
- An additional holiday for Landfill personnel
- Increase in allowed banked ATO (accumulative time off) to 80 hours
- Increase in accumulative holiday time to 80 hours
- Ability to sell excess vacation of 40 hours
- Boot allowance every 12 months (was 18 months)
- New language on Union Steward release time
- New FLSA “Week Averaging exemption in order to benefit Shift Employees”
- Removal of the punishable sick leave language
- Sick leave will be counted as work hours under the FLSA work week
- New Agency Shop language
Congratulations to our new IBEW 1245 members at the City of Lompoc on their persistence in seeking IBEW representation and their unanimous ratification of their first IBEW labor agreement.