We regret to announce the passing of 45-year IBEW 1245 member Matthew (Barney) Whaley. He was 68 years old. Whaley was an outside construction journeyman lineman who was employed by Pinnacle at the time of his passing. He had been out on disability awaiting knee surgery when he fell ill, according to his family. His… [Read More]
Archives for August 2021
All of New Orleans loses power after ‘catastrophic transmission damage’ (via Reuters)
Orleans Parish was without power on Sunday after Entergy New Orleans suffered “catastrophic” transmission damage, the energy company said. Hurricane Ida, which made landfall as a fierce Category 4 storm, plowed through the Gulf of Mexico into Louisiana on Sunday, lashing the coast with 150 mile-per-hour winds, torrential downpours and pounding surf that plunged much… [Read More]
COVID-19 Claims the Life of IBEW 1245 Member David Gonzalez
We deeply regret to announce the passing of seven-year IBEW 1245 member David Gonzalez Sr., who sadly lost his life to COVID-19 complications last week. He was 54 years old. Brother Gonzalez, who worked for the City of Lompoc’s Solid Waste Division as a Collections Driver for ten years, was a kind, reserved and devout… [Read More]
Letter Agreement 21-34: Relocate Reprographics to West Sacramento
In accordance with Section 19.12 of the Clerical agreement, the Company proposes the following options to address impacts to the affected Market Street Graphics personnel: IBEW bargaining unit members within the Corporate Real Estate Market Street Graphics department at the San Francisco General Office complex will be given Section 19.1(a) notification as soon as practicable,… [Read More]
Letter Agreement 21-40: Lead Contractor Inspector – GC
The Company and Union have been working collaboratively to explore utilizing employees, represented by IBEW Local 1245, to focus on inspections of contractor execution of work on company facilities and assets. To that end, the Company and Union entered into Letter Agreement 20-50 which allowed the parties to participate in a pilot program to evaluate… [Read More]
Mike Venturino Elected to NV AFL-CIO Executive Board
We are pleased to congratulate IBEW Local 1245 Business Representative Mike Venturino, who was elected by acclamation to serve as the District 1 North East Nevada Vice President for the Nevada State AFL-CIO. The election took place on Aug. 24 at NV AFL-CIO’s 65th Annual Constitutional Convention in Reno, NV. Venturino joins NV Energy retiree… [Read More]
Historic drought slashes hydropower generation in California, other Western states (via UtilityDive)
The plunge in hydropower production has helped fuel a big increase in power prices in the Golden State, which hit their highest levels in five years over the summer, soaring 150% from May to July, according to Moody’s. The decline in hydropower, and the scramble to replace it with other sources, is putting financial pressure… [Read More]
Prop. 22, the gig worker exemption for Uber and Lyft, is ruled unconstitutional (via SF Chronicle)
Proposition 22, which exempts gig work companies like Uber and Lyft from treating drivers as employees, is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Friday. The measure, which 59% of state voters supported last fall, illegally “limits the power of a future legislature to define app-based drivers as workers subject to workers’ compensation law,” Alameda County Superior Court Frank Roesch… [Read More]
IBEW Statement on Liz Shuler’s Historic Election as AFL-CIO President
IBEW International President Lonnie R. Stephenson issued the following statement on the election of Liz Shuler as AFL-CIO President: “Liz Shuler is the leader the American labor movement needs. As an experienced and dedicated trade unionist, Liz brings both compassion and a fierce commitment to advancing the cause of working people to the job of AFL-CIO… [Read More]
PG&E/IBEW West Coast Lineman’s Rodeo Cancelled
We regret to announce that this year’s PG&E West Coast Lineman Rodeo has been cancelled. There were several factors that drove this decision, including the rise in COVID cases, fires, PSPS events and low participant registration. Our hope is that the Rodeo will resume in 2022.