The IBEW 1245 members employed at Paradise Irrigation District voted unanimously to approve a new two-year MOU late last year. Due to some errors and omissions by the District, as well as a lengthy Industrial Benefits Survey, there was a delay in getting the agreement finalized, but it is now in effect, and includes a 1.5% general wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2020, with a 1% lump sum payment in December 2020. An additional 1.5% GWI was scheduled for July 1, 2021, but is dependent on the District cumulatively receiving $10 million dollars from the PG&E Camp Fire settlement and State backfill funding. As of this writing, that funding has not yet come in to the District, but hopefully it will be received soon.
Under the new agreement, the District’s contribution to the health and welfare premiums will be maintained at the ACWA advantage level through the term of the agreement. The agreement also includes modification to existing language to convert the treatment plant operators (and lake patrol for bullet point #1 only) hourly rate from time and one half (1.5x) to double time (2x) for the following:
- emergency call outs on observed holidays;
- when an observed holiday falls on a weekend and an employee is called out on the actual calendar day of the holiday;
- when they are working the holiday;
- when the actual holiday falls on a weekend and the observed holiday is on a weekday, and the employee works the actual calendar day of the holiday.
Additionally, the members now have non-binding mediation added to the grievance procedure. Union Officer and Steward leave time have also been added to the agreement, as well as other housekeeping and language cleanup.
The bargaining committee was comprised of members Laura Capra, Jeremy Gentry, and Clint Stanley, along with IBEW 1245 Assistant Business Manager Dylan Gottfried and myself.
–Dominic McCurtain, IBEW 1245 Business Rep