Election observers Jessica Watts and Sarah Hodson from Energy Choice California share the official ballot count just after their successful union election

More than thirty call center representatives at Energy Choice California elected to join IBEW 1245 on May 21, 2018, making them the latest in hundreds of CSRs and other clerical workers who haven chosen IBEW representation. The result of their election, which was conducted at the employer’s facility in Santa Rosa, was a unanimous Yes with 25 valid ballots cast.

Energy Choice California is a woman-owned business which handles call center work for Calpine Energy Solutions, LLC. Calpine Solutions provides data management and customer contact services for the community choice aggregation (CCA) industry in California. ECC is also affiliated with AnswerNet, the call center/answering service contractor which originally provided this service to Calpine Solutions.

The bargaining unit started as a dedicated workgroup of 12 AnswerNet CSRs, who moved to a new, separate Energy Choice call center in late 2017. Since then, the unit has grown to include more than 30 and continues to expand with a second location in Pittsburg.

Late last year, the CSRs began meeting to learn about the difference that IBEW membership makes for call center workers. For several months the highly motivated group built their support for organizing, engaged with new hires to explain the benefits of organizing, and stayed committed all the way to the finish line. Having won their election, the unit is excited to form their bargaining committee, draft proposals, and begin negotiations with the company.

–Rick Thompson, IBEW International Lead Organizer