If you have a question regarding LA 14-35 and/or the proposed Gas T&D Line of Progression, use the form below. (Please note that your question may be republished on this site for the benefit of other members, but your personal information will not be posted and is for internal use only).
To view answers to other members’ questions, scroll down below the form.
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QUESTION: Currently in many division yards throughout the system fieldmen are no longer called out to work emergencies or pre arranged for overtime on weekends for crew work because they are part of the mark and locate or leak survey work group. Most areas would rather call out 1 foreman and 4 equipment operators before they call one fieldman. Under this new letter agreement will fieldmen get called out for emergency crew work or pre-arranged on weekend work?
ANSWER: Based on your question, it sounds like in some areas the Company is having the Fieldperson perform production compliance work and are not using the Fieldperson for construction work. We think this should change under the new agreement as employees in the Compliance classifications will be performing these duties.
Title 208 and 212 of the collective bargaining agreement provides for the Company to determine which classification is needed to perform pre-arranged or emergency work. The Company has some flexibility to make such assignments as long as the job duties are within the scope of the employee’s job definition.
The proposed Division Gas T&D agreement does not change the overtime sections of the agreement, however, in the future the Compliance classifications would be eligible for pre-arranged or emergency overtime within the scope of their job definitions and likewise the Fieldperson would be eligible for pre-arranged or emergency overtime within the scope of their job definitions.
This does not mean that the Company could not utilize employees who are qualified and higher in the lines of progression to work overtime assignments if they exhaust the proper classifications first.
QUESTION: What will happen in the event that this LA fails to pass?
ANSWER: The Union Gas T&D committee members will meet and make recommendations on next steps.
QUESTION: Why all the focus on corrosion mechanics? Why are they getting all the raises?
ANSWER: The agreement provides for all incumbent & future Gas Crew Leaders to be eligible to receive a higher wage rate for Arc qualifications. Other newly created Gas classifications that will receive increased wages are noted below:
1) Senior Gas Compliance Representative
2) Gas Compliance Representative
3) Equipment Operators (automatically by this agreement)
4) Senior Gas T&D Equipment Operator
In fact, this agreement provides for nearly 326 Division Gas members who are “not” Corrosion Mechanics to receive higher wages. This is nearly 50% of all Gas T&D members. If all members take advantage of this agreement the total increase in “straight time” wages is nearly 1.6 million dollars per year.
As for the Corrosion Mechanic position, the Union and our Gas membership has, over the years, proposed an Apprentice Training Program and a progression to establish a professional organization for Corrosion and Cathodic Protection. With this new apprenticeship and progression our Gas members will have more career advancement opportunities.
You may recall that in 2008, Division Gas T&D negotiations in part, raised the Fitter and Fitter – Arc wages by 11%, the Gas Crew Leader – Welding wages by just over 5%, adjusted the Gas Mechanic wages to be the same as Gas Crew Leader – Welding. In addition, all other Division Gas T&D classifications above the Utility Worker received a wage increase of 2%.
QUESTION: Is GC going to be able to do there own initial locates or is that going to continue to be t 200 gas work?
ANSWER: GC has always been able to perform locates associated with the GC job. The same as Division crews who can perform their own locates associated with their job. Production locates (USA tags) are within the scope of T200 job classifications.
QUESTION: Is the purpose of utility workers doing mark and locate going to be for assisting the m&L work group or replacing them?
ANSWER: The agreement provides for Utility Workers to perform “production” leak survey and “production” locate and mark duties and provides for the higher classifications of Gas Compliance Representative and Senior Gas Compliance Representative to oversee the Utility Workers who are assigned these duties.
The concept is for the higher classifications to train, mentor and assist the Utility Worker. The agreement gives our members the opportunity to promote to a higher classification with a higher wage rate.
The higher classifications will perform the more difficult task associated with Leak Survey and Locate & Mark duties, perform standby work, investigate dig-ins and prevent damage to underground facilities and other work as identified in the job definition.
The Utility Worker job duties are very limited and designed to assist the work group and the newer classifications will perform some of the same duties and an array of new duties.
QUESTION: The 2014 wage list in attachment 1 doesn’t include the CDLA adjustment from the 2012 general negotiations (i. e. Gas mechanic currently earns $49.30 not the $48.99 listed).
ANSWER: The CDL wage adjustment covered by Letter of Agreement 12-32 is not included in the Gas T&D JDLOP update wage rates or Exhibit X of the CBA, because the CDL wages are covered by LA 12-32. Below an excerpt from the proposed Letter of Agreement 14-35:
Commercial Driver’s License Addendum Implementation. The Company will make adjustments to wage rates for newly created classifications as needed consistent with Letter Agreement 12-32.
Wage rates for members who carry the CDL and are eligible under LA 12-32 are adjusted by the SAP payroll system.
QUESTION: What are the lines of progression for Locate&Mark? Are they the same as Corrosion Mechanic?
ANSWER: The proposed update to the Division Gas T&D Department includes several additional opportunities for Gas T&D employees. The concept of this agreement is to provide our members with choices in their career and advancement opportunities. As for your question, the proposal provides for new higher classifications for locate & mark and leak survey and a new apprentice corrosion mechanic training program. These new higher classifications and new classifications in the construction equipment operations group, Fieldpersons and Utility Workers are all eligible to bid and become apprentice corrosion mechanics.
QUESTION: I work in SLO as a locator and there is no gas in my area. Are they going to classify an electric-only locator as a gas compliance person also, or are they going to separate that as well?
ANSWER: Locators in non-gas areas will be Gas Compliance Representatives within the Gas T&D department.
QUESTION: I like doing mark and locate and would like to continue for the time being but do not want to have to break back to a fieldperson to be eligible for an apprenticeship. Does this only apply to the positions outlined in the presentation or to all apprenticeships? Because I would still like the option of bidding on other apprenticeships in the future and being able to do that from the compliance position.
ANSWER: All employees covered under the physical agreement can bid all apprenticeships, but employees within a department (Lines of Progression) have preferential bid rights first. As a Division Gas T&D, if you accept a position as a Gas Compliance Representative or Senior Gas Compliance Representative you are still able to bid to Apprentice Corrosion Mechanic and Apprentice Fitter Arc, and you have preferential bid rights to these jobs based on the lines of progression established in the Gas T&D agreement.
QUESTION: What would happen in the event a Gas Crew Leader (0640) is no longer O/A qualified?
ANSWER: The employee continues to be a Gas Crew Leader (0640).
QUESTION: I have been doing mark and locate for a year and making $38.00, if I decide to pursue locating and bid on compliance position will my pay go down to the bottom step or will my previous locating time push me to a higher rate?
ANSWER: Assuming you’re at the top rate of pay for the T200 Fieldperson and your current wage rate is $38.70 hour; if you accept the position of Gas Compliance Representative your pay will not go down but instead it will go up to the higher wage rate because of Section 204.5 of the collective bargaining agreement. (see below). Even Fieldpersons who are not at the top rate of pay will go to a higher wage step when bidding the Gas Compliance job because of section 204.5.
Excerpt from LA 14-35
Heavy Truck Driver (PIO) and Fieldpersons who bid and are awarded a Gas Compliance Representative position shall be placed at the rate of pay pursuant to Section 204.5
Excerpt from Section 204.5
204.5 WAGE RATE ON UPGRADE OR PROMOTION
Except as provided in Subsection 204.6(a) and 204.7, an employee who is regularly or temporarily assigned to a classification having a higher maximum wage rate shall be paid at the highest wage rate of the following:
(a) the first step of the wage progression of such classification which is higher than the employee’s present wage rate, or (Amended 1-1-91)
(b) the wage step in the higher classification determined by the time previously accumulated in such higher classification, as provided for in Subsection 204.2(b), or
(c) the top rate of pay of such higher classification if the employee has previously been demoted or displaced, pursuant to Title 206, from a classification having a higher wage rate than the classification to which the employee is assigned. (Amended 1-1-91)
(Responses composed by Joe Osterlund, IBEW 1245 Staff)