Safety / Focus Items
The second quarter Red Book Joint Safety Meeting was held on June 11th, at the California-Nevada JATC campus in Woodland. Contractors from across the state, and both LU 47 & 1245, discussed safety issues and concerns in the industry. Topics varied from the continued driving issues to mental health.
Additionally, the latest version of the CA Red Book was released and sent off for printing! We will announce when copies are available, and an online version is uploaded. This has been a long process from opening discussion to final printing. A PDF version is available on our website now!
As summertime is here, we must shift our views to new hazards. Heat, threat of wildfire and children out for summer to name a few.
Staff Changes
The second quarter of the year brought about some staff changes in the Outside Line group. Ralph Kenyon retired at the end of April. Ralph was instrumental in building the programs that we see today and has helped with the development of the representatives on staff. This effort and diligence from Ralph have made his retirement a time for heartfelt congratulations. Congratulations, Ralph!
Ethan Stonecipher was promoted to Assistant Business Manager, after Ralph’s retirement.
Terin Donnelly was hired in May as the Business Representative for the Northern section of our jurisdiction. Terin brings a Journeyman Lineman pedigree, and a heart of gold to the team. Terin has been instrumental in his short time with the team. We are very honored to have him aboard!
California
The summer workload has been steadily increasing across the jurisdiction. From Battery Energy Storage System’s (BESS) to Fire Hardening, our members are performing the work that keeps the lights on, safely.
The Mega-Bundle Program from PG&E has started recently, forcing contractors to put multiple crews on, in a relatively short amount of time. This work prioritizes projects, in a general vicinity, to cut down on travel time. We must ensure that we are not cutting corners. Safety must be at the forefront of every decision made.
Sierra, North Valley, Stockton, and Yosemite have seen some of the largest crew increases. The projection for increase in these areas alone stands between 20-30 crews.
Transmission work, line construction and land management alike, have seen an increase in workload. Also, CAISO approved the 2024-2025 Transmission Plan on May 30th. This plan highlights 31 transmission projects, totaling $4.8 billion. Work will primarily revolve around the Bay Area’s increased capacity needs.
April 2025 saw the completion and implementation of the Orchard Substation in Huron, CA. This station, in conjunction with PG&E’s Gates Substation, will provide support to PG&E customers across the area. The degradation of power quality will continue to lead the way as more and more support projects come together across the state.
City of Redding Electric has extended Basin Enterprises maintenance agreement for another year, keeping at least one-crew busy throughout the year.
The Fresno Bi-Monthly Informational Meeting continues to take place on the second Tuesday of every other month, from 6pm to 8pm at Round Table Pizza at 5702 N. First St. The remaining meetings for this year will take place on July 8th, Sept 9th and Nov 11. A mass text reminder will be sent out the Monday before each meeting. Please make time to attend the meeting if you’re in the area.
Nevada/Lake Tahoe
Work is picking up across all properties in Nevada. For NV Energy, Substations continue to lead the way, as many are being built across the area. These include mainly utility scale, but also some private infrastructure as well.
Work on Greenlink West continues. Full story included for this month.
Dock work for Liberty Utility and Plumas Sierra continue. Plumas Sierra awarded Teichert Line Services a pole replacement package.
Traffic Control
May 2025 was the busiest month worked under our Traffic Control Agreement since inception. This agreement, negotiated in July 2023, has provided a pathway for our membership to grow and contractors to compete in spaces never thought possible.
As our membership continues to grow, we must maintain the high standards that have gotten us to this point. Safety violations, in any capacity, must not be tolerated. We must ensure that ALL OF US are in this together, to get home safely.
None of this is possible, without the dedication and hard work of the members working under this agreement. They have consistently met challenges in workload with an open mind and truly sought to understand the complex nature of this work.
California-Nevada JATC
The JATC has recently completed interviews for both the Substation Tech and Lineman Apprenticeship programs. Many qualified candidates were interviewed, including many repeat interviewees. As the apprenticeship program has become more competitive to get into, the quality of talent has continued to increase.
With the good, we must address the bad. In the last 3 months, we have had 4 sub-committee hearings. The majority were summoned for a hearing, due to failure to pass workbooks or failure to submit hours/evaluations. However, egregious driving accidents still haunt these hearings.
We must continue to set the bar with our apprentices, in the field and the classroom. Ensuring that our apprentices are supported and trained correctly, is the sure way to improve the quality of craftsmanship for many generations to come. We must take pride in our apprentices, to make strong Journeymen.
CPR & First Aid
CPR and First Aid classes are scheduled for the second Friday of every month at the Woodland and Riverside facilities. If you are interested and want to sign up for this class, visit www.calnevjatc.org ,click on the Web Services tab, then Class Schedule. If you do not already have a web account with the JATC, you will need to create one. Class availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
Injured Workers Fund (IWF)
As of May 31, 2025, the balance of the Fund was $516,669.42. Since April 1, 2025, the Fund has paid out $142,227.42 in disability and parental leave claims.
The Summary Plan Description (SPD) and Application can be found at the below link: https://ibew1245.com/outside-line-injured-workers-fund/ .
Dispatch
Second Quarter Totals
- Journeyman Lineman: 621
- Line Equipment Man: 366
- Groundman: 710
- Traffic Control Technician: 136
Year to Date Totals
- Journeyman Lineman: 1096
- Line Equipment Man: 654
- Groundman: 1063
- Traffic Control Technician: 212
Organizing
California Outside Line Construction Agreement
CableProtect North America, Inc.
CBI Power, Inc.
Crewtura, Inc.
Electric Builders Industries, LLC
High Voltage Energy Inc.
Matergenics Inc.
SEVH Solutions LLC dba SEHV Electrical
Terra West Construction
Winco, Inc.