Local 1245’s negotiating committee met with PG&E on Thursday, April 21, having exchanged initial proposals on March 18. Instead of the typical three-month period between exchange of proposals and initial meeting we accelerated the process to start on April 21.
PG&E President of Electric Operations Geisha Williams, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services John Simon, and Local 1245 Business Manager Tom Dalzell all made remarks placing these negotiations in context.
Business Manager Dalzell stated that because of the pressing demands of a number of competitive challenges and the ever-constant need to improve on safety, the parties would be best served with a simple package arrived at as quickly as possible. He advocated the continued use of ad hoc negotiations instead of general negotiations to address operational issues, and on the subject of safety stressed the need for the Company’s message on safety to be unwaveringly consistent. He identified the company proposal on consensus language for two-man rubber-gloving as sending the wrong message on safety. Dalzell repeated that Local 1245 does not intend to negotiate issues that affect only some members, such as service crews, in general negotiations.
Williams and Simon both emphasized the competitive threats on PG&E and the rate pressure which Net Energy Metering and Community Choice Aggregation are already placing on the Company, and stressed the need for organizational excellence.
PG&E had provided responses to Local 1245’s bargaining data requests the night before, and the Local 1245 committee began reviewing the data and costing the union proposals.
Dates were set for negotiating sessions through the middle of May. Early negotiating sessions will address non-cost issues, such as bidding and sick leave awarding practices in contact centers.