In December of 2019, the IBEW 1245 members at Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD) ratified a new agreement by a vote of 35 Yes, 4 No, 1 Abstain. The five-year agreement was formally adopted by the TDPUD board on March 18, 2020.
The agreement includes a 5% general wage increase effective Jan. 1, 2020, along with a $1,500 lump sum payment. Annual wage increases for 2021, 2022 and 2023 will be derived from the CPI-W for SF-Oakland-Hayward, CA as calculated but the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a cap of 5% and a minimum of 2%. In the final year of the agreement (2024), the District shall increase the wages of all bargaining unit employees using the above formula, minus 1%. However, under no circumstances shall the employee receive less than 2% in January 2024. Additionally, wages for Lead Lineman, Electric Foreman and Electrician/Meter Technician Foreman classifications increased 2.5% on Jan. 1, 2020.
The new agreement also includes union security language; an increase in comp time from 64-72 hours; meal increase from $20 to $25 per missed meal; phone reimbursement increase for on-call employees from $16 to $20 per month; military leave pay for up to 30 days; and a boot allowance increase from $525 to $575 per year, with a 2.5% increase yearly. The employee birthday holiday has been changed to a floating holiday, and personal disability paid sick leave has been converted to paid sick leave, with the ability to cash out eight hours of sick leave annually.
The monthly retiree benefit cap increased from $475 to $600 for individual only, spouse only and children only, the spouse-and-children only cap increased from $725 to $1000, and the Medicare rate went up from $375 to $500. This comes with the option of the benefit either being paid directly to the employee or to an HRA. (There is a disagreement on the interpretation of applicability of the increased Retiree Medical Cap. The District is arguing that is does not apply to current retirees, only to future retirees, while the Union believes it applies to current retirees as well. A grievance on this matter is pending.) There will be no medical premium from the employees in 2020. In years 2021 and 2022, there will be a $25-per-month employee contribution, and in 2023 and 2024, there will be a $50.00-per-month employee contribution.
Bargaining for the union were IBEW 1245 Senior Assistant Business Manager Al Fortier, Assistant Business Manager Dylan Gottfried and myself, along with TDPUD members Shannon Hoyt, Tami McCollum, Mark Mehler and Lisa Swartz.
–Mike Venturino, IBEW 1245 Business Rep