The IBEW 1245 members at the City of Gridley have unanimously approved a new MOU (the City’s last, best, and final offer). The new agreement includes a 3% general wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2019, as well as a 3% GWI effective July 1, 2020, and a another 2% GWI effective July 1, 2021.
Also included is an annual seven-utility study that will compare the Electrical Lineworker Series with Healdsburg, LMUD, Plumas Sierra REC, Redding, Shasta Lake, Truckee-Donner PUD, and Ukiah. This survey will give the Lineworker Series the better of the general wage increase, or the lower quartile of the 7-utility study. For the retroactive offer to July 1, 2019, the increase to the Lineworker Series will be 16.9%.
In previous negotiations the sick leave cash-out had been eliminated for employees hired after July 1, 2014. This agreement will give those employees the ability to cash out 50% of sick leave at retirement. There was also some language cleanup regarding sick leave usage, and the exchange of one (of three) floating holiday for the fixed Martin Luther King Jr. day as a permanent holiday.
The bargaining committee consisted of Local 1245 members Sandra Ramos, Daniel Howard, and Scott Taylor from the City of Gridley, along with IBEW 1245 Senior Assistant Business Manager Al Fortier, and myself.
–Dominic McCurtain, IBEW 1245 Business Rep