Late last night, the Vallejo City Council approved the contract ratified by the IBEW 1245 membership.
The near unanimous vote of the Council came just days after more than 80% of IBEW 1245’s members at the City of Vallejo ratified the new Memorandum of Understanding, (MOU). 88% voted yes. In their remarks, several City Council members recognized the dedication of employees and commended them and their union, IBEW 1245.
The MOU raises wages and enhances medical benefits among other gains.
13-year IBEW 1245 member, Josh Davidson, who works as a Utility Supervisor at the City of Vallejo, addressed the City Council on behalf of the negotiating committee stating, “On behalf of my IBEW 1245 brothers and sisters that work here, I thank you for coming to the Table and bargaining with us. I thank you for working out a fair deal, and I thank you in advance for signing this contract.”
The hard-won victory came after months of negotiating at the Table, a strong show of support by the membership at City Council meetings, and an outpouring of support from labor and faith allies.
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean declared, “It’s a great day. This is a victory that belongs to the hard-working men and women of the City of Vallejo and everyone who supported them.” Dean also thanked the City Council for approving the settlement achieved at the Table.
Business Representative Kim Camatti, the co-chair of the negotiating committee, reiterated her thanks to the negotiating committee and the membership.
IBEW 1245 Negotiating Committee at the City of Vallejo
She also thanked the IBEW 1245 Organizing team, who worked with her to identify, recruit and train City of Vallejo IBEW 1245 members as part of a Volunteer Organizing Committee (VOC). The 40-member strong VOC conducted sustained member-to-member outreach over a twelve-month period, educating co-workers about the union difference and increasing union density from 52% to more than 81%. “Having an informed, engaged, and unified membership made all the difference,” said Camatti.
The new MOU goes into effect on July 13, 2024.
Chief IBEW 1245 Negotiators Sr. Assistant Bus. Manager Al Fortier & Business Rep Kim Camatti, with IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean, & Napa Solano County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO) Executive Director Glenn Loveall