IBEW 1245 and AnsaldoBreda, Inc have reached an agreement for a one-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement with a 2% cost-of-living wage increase. The Company and the Union signed off on the extension on June 8, 2015.
IBEW 1245 members at AnsaldoBreda in Pittsburg build and repair train cars for transportation systems throughout California, including San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SF MUNI). AnsaldoBreda Inc. recently landed a new contract with the Florida Transportation Association, and will also be working on the new rail system coming to Honolulu, Hawaii. The Company has clarified that these new contracts will increase the technician head count at the Pittsburg facility.
Shortly after AnsaldoBreda was awarded both the Florida and Hawaii contracts, Hitachi Ltd. purchased AnsaldoBreda from Finmeccanica in February of 2015. In an all-hands-on-deck IBEW 1245 membership meeting at the Pittsburg facility on March 27, 2015, Business Representative Cruz Serna and Assistant Business Manager Ray Thomas listened to concerns from membership regarding the potential impact of the Hitachi takeover. The membership fully supported a one-year extension, which the Union immediately presented to the Company. The extension will remain in effect through May 26, 2016.
Injured Shop Steward Update: Following the March 27 all-hands meeting, Samuel “Sammy” Bradley, IBEW 1245 Shop Steward at AnsaldoBreda, was seriously injured in a vehicular accident while driving his motorcycle home from work. Sammy is making a great recovery and is scheduled to return to work on July 13, 2015. During Sammy’s absence, IBEW 1245 member Tracy Cheek has stepped forward to assume IBEW 1245 Shop Steward status at AnsaldoBreda.