When the Company and Union negotiating committees met on August 2, IBEW 1245 spokesperson Tom Dalzell reiterated the Union’s position that issues affecting only some members of the bargaining unit should be negotiated with and (if necessary) ratified by only those affected members. PG&E spokesperson Robert Joga stated that the parameters which he had been given for negotiations by senior executives were to include all issues in general negotiations, including those that affect only some of the members of the bargaining unit.
The primary issues involved in this discussion were the Company proposals for service crews in the electric line department and first responder crews in division gas. With this difference of opinion, Local 1245 suggested — and Joga agreed — to seek guidance from senior executives on the direction which the Company would take.
Although it has taken much longer than the Company anticipated or Local 1245 desired, the Company has scheduled a meeting of its Labor Relations Executive Committee (LREC) for September 9, 2016. Dalzell believes that the direction going forward hinges on what the LREC decides on September 9.
“Either we collaborate on issues facing us, such as safety, competitive challenges, and administration of the health insurance program, or we continue to fight,” said Dalzell. “We’d prefer to collaborate, but we are prepared for either option.”