“Unity and patience will help us win.”
IBEW 1245 Business Manager & Chief Negotiator Bob Dean addressing the PG&E Bargaining Committee
Vacaville – On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean welcomed the PG&E Bargaining Committee to the Hall and reiterated his thanks to the 25 committee members for their commitment to represent their co-workers and win the strongest possible contract. Two new members – Tim Healy, a Mission GC Cable Splicer, and Steve Dale, GC Diablo joined the committee for the first time.
The Goal
“Our goal is to win a good contract for 14,000 people. Each of you is representing 14,000 members. You’ll have to do a lot of work,” said Dean. “2012 was a grind and long. 2016 was a grind and long. If a miracle happens, fantastic. But we need to prepare for a long, drawn-out battle. We’ll need a lot of patience. Unity and patience will help us win,” he added.
Lead Negotiator & Senior Assistant Business Manager Anthony Brown addressing PG&E Bargaining Committee
The Process
“Rumors are already flying,” shared Senior Assistant Business Manager Bob Gerstle, adding, “I’ve received emails with ideas and demands.” Several members have asked what decisions have already been made.
“The answer to the membership is, ‘No decisions have been made,’” declared Dean. “We will go to the Table on September 2nd. Submit your ideas as a formal proposal between March 1-March 31st when the window for receiving proposals opens,” he added.
Members are strongly encouraged to submit their proposals online at https://ibew1245.com/2025/01/16/2025-pge-negotiations/. They may also submit their proposals at Unit Meetings.
PG&E Bargaining Committee Members & Clerical Service Representatives Tiffany Bradley & Cameron Graves
From March to April, 2025 the Bargaining Committee will collate, sort and assess all proposals received during the open window. They will bring in additional subject matter experts as needed.
In late Spring, the union and the company will exchange preliminary packages. If the historical pattern holds true, on September 2, 2025, the day after Labor Day, the parties will go to the Table for the first set of formal negotiations.
Committee members asked a series of questions that senior staff answered.
IBEW 1245 Senior Assistant Business Manager Doug Girouard trains Bargaining Committee members Tim Healey (Cable Splicer) and Jerry Stinson Gerald Stinson (T-200, Working Lead) on computers.
Tech Training
Senior Assistant Business Manager Doug Girouard assigned each committee member their IBEW 1245 email address and the technology that will be utilized during their time working on negotiations with PG&E. He trained them on the ins and outs of communicating with each other via Teams, the document library, the repository for bargaining proposals, documenting time off, expenses and more. Utilizing technology represents an important step forward for this set of negotiations. It will enhance our Bargaining Committee’s ability to process and utilize all of the data available to them and to communicate in order to represent the membership to the best of their ability.
Next Meeting
The Committee reconvenes in March to begin the sorting process of proposals.
– Eileen Purcell, Sr. Advisor, Photos by John Storey