From left to right: PG&E execs Peter Kenny, John Higgins, Nick Stavropoulos & Jesus Soto
Shortly after joining the company’s executive ranks four years ago, PG&E President of Gas Operations Nick Stavropoulos stopped by IBEW Local 1245’s Weakley Union Hall for the first time on Sept. 29, 2011 to visit with union gas workers, stewards, committee members and union leaders. Stavropoulos, who was hired by PG&E in 2011 to make the necessary changes in the gas business, left quite an impression with the Local 1245 gas workers. He ended his comments that day with this age-old adage: “Talk is cheap … you’ve got to judge me by my actions.”
Operating Clerk Berta Aceves
Four years later, almost to the day, Stavropoulos and his team, which includes Jesus Soto, John Higgins and Peter Kenny, returned to the Local 1245 hall on Sept. 28, 2015, to spend some time with gas workers, clerical workers, union staff and leadership. In addition, Robert Joga and his labor relations team, including principle gas negotiator Frances Wilder-Davis, also attended the meeting.
Stavropoulos stood by his words, giving the union workers and leaders a chance to judge him by his actions over the past four years, and he has indeed followed through on his commitment to improved labor-management relations. IBEW 1245 Business Manager Tom Dalzell pointed out that Stavropoulos has visited Local 1245 members at the Hall so many times that he himself has lost count.
Gas Service Reps Robert Mohler (left) and Mike Adayan (right) chat with Nick Stavropoulos (center)
During the meeting, Stavropoulos provided an update on all the progress that the Gas Ops department has made since he came on board, and detailed the challenges that lie ahead. Dalzell discussed the great work that has been accomplished by the gas and clerical joint labor-management committees, which include nearly 50 rank-and-file members. The dialogue was productive, as gas and clerical members had the opportunity to ask questions and suggest their own ideas for improving processes and work procedures. At the end of the day, the union member, leaders and representatives from the company all agreed that while the work they have done together so far is great, there is much more to do.