“Some careers are measured in years. Others are measured in the people they influence.”
IBEW 1245 leaders joined together to honor Paul Mackin’s extraordinary career. Pictured (left to right) are Business Manager Bob Dean, Business Representative Mike Tilden, Paul Mackin, Senior Assistant Business Manager Bob Gerstle, and Assistant Business Manager Dave Sankey.
Brentwood, CA – After more than 42 years of IBEW membership and a career that spanned nearly every corner of the electric utility industry, Brother Paul Mackin leaves behind far more than a resume. He leaves behind a legacy of service to his country, his coworkers, his Union, his community, and the customers who depended on him every day.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Paul to reflect on a remarkable career. Along with Business Manager Bob Dean, Senior ABM Bob Gerstle, and ABM Dave Sankey, I also had the opportunity to share dinner with him after his retirement. Listening to Paul tell stories from over four decades in the trade was like opening a living history book of our Union. That admiration extends well beyond those who know Paul today. Senior ABM Bob Gerstle first met Paul when they were both Apprentice Linemen. “I’ve known Paul since we were both Apprentice Linemen in the mid-80’s,” Gerstle said. “He’s had a tremendous career in our industry, and I’m proud to call him a friend.” What struck me most wasn’t simply what Paul had accomplished, it was the admiration, laughter, and genuine respect around the table from people who had known and worked alongside him for decades.
Paul’s story isn’t simply the story of one retiring member. It’s the story of a generation of IBEW members whose quiet professionalism, mentorship, and willingness to stand up when it mattered helped build the Local we know today.
Mackin as an apprentice in San Francisco.
After proudly serving in the United States Army, Paul returned home in 1980 looking for a career. Although he briefly worked for the telephone company after leaving the military, it didn’t take long before he found his way to PG&E in San Francisco in 1983.
His union story, however, started even earlier.
Laughing as he reflected on his younger years, Paul admitted, “Don’t forget, my first union job I lied about my age to get. I was 15½ and was supposed to be 16.” As a busboy with Local 2, Hotel and Restaurant Employees, he got his first taste of organized labor years before beginning the career that would define his life.
Within months of joining PG&E, he had earned an apprenticeship and begun what would become a career unlike almost any other. Over the years, Paul worked underground distribution, overhead distribution, transmission, catenary systems for the City of San Francisco, and served as a System Operator, Lead System Operator, instructor, trainer, temporary supervisor, and served on teams that helped shape the modern Distribution Control Centers many of our members work in today.
He witnessed the industry transform from hydraulic tools and free-climbing poles to today’s ergonomic equipment, advanced automation, and digital operating systems. During dinner, Paul laughed about the days when Linemen climbed nearly everything, free-climbed towers, and thought nothing of work that would be unrecognizable under today’s safety standards. Looking back, however, he was quick to acknowledge that those changes have made the trade far safer for the generations that followed. He worked through major storms, responded during the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake, experienced some of the most turbulent labor relations in PG&E history, and helped train generations of Operators and Linemen who continue serving our members and customers today.
Mackin during his time working for the City of San Francisco.
Yet when asked what he was most proud of professionally, Paul didn’t mention titles or awards, he talked about teaching.
Whether instructing at the System Operator School, educating Linemen on new equipment, or mentoring apprentices during long night shifts, Paul believed knowledge wasn’t something to keep, it was something to pass on.
He often reminded apprentices that every hour spent learning today could save someone’s life tomorrow. That philosophy defined his career.
“Paul represents everything you hope to find in a union member,” said IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean. “He never hesitated to speak up when he believed safety or our members were at stake. His impact will be felt long after his retirement because of the countless people he mentored and the lives he touched along the way. Thank you, Paul, for your extraordinary service to our Brotherhood.”
Mackin during his time in the Army.
Just as influential were the mentors who shaped him early on. Paul spoke with deep respect about the Journeymen who invested in him as an apprentice, not only teaching him how to become a skilled Lineman and System Operator, but what it meant to become a committed Union member. Their example inspired his own commitment to mentoring the next generation.
Spend an evening with Paul and you’ll notice something else: every story somehow becomes someone else’s story. Ask about his accomplishments and he’ll tell you about a mentor. Ask about an award and he’ll tell you about the coworkers who made it possible. Ask about a challenge he overcame and he’ll probably laugh before recounting one of the many lessons he learned along the way. His humility may be every bit as memorable as his resume.
Paul also never lost sight of who the work was ultimately for.
He spoke often about customers, not as account numbers, but as families. Children afraid during outages. Elderly customers depending on electricity to keep food fresh and medical devices operating. Neighbors simply waiting for the lights to come back on.
As a young Lineman, Paul even carried small flashlights and balloons in his truck to hand out to children during extended outages because he understood that restoring power wasn’t simply about restoring electricity.
Mackin after he tore a bicep tendon as an apprentice lineman in San Francisco.
It was about restoring normalcy.
Whether working from the top of a pole or operating at the control center, Paul never lost sight of who the work was ultimately for.
That same spirit of service extended well beyond the workplace.
In 1993, Paul received PG&E’s prestigious Frederick W. Mielke Jr. Award for Outstanding Community Service in recognition of his volunteer work as a Children’s Advocate in the Contra Costa Superior Court. Long before “community engagement” became a corporate initiative, Paul was already living it.
Helping children navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives became another chapter in a lifetime devoted to serving others.
Character often reveals itself in what people do when nobody is watching. Paul’s community service says as much about him as his utility career. His commitment to service never ended when he left work. During our conversation, one theme surfaced again and again:
Perseverance.
A near career-ending knee injury forced him to leave the Line Department. At the time, it felt devastating. Looking back, however, Paul now sees that difficult chapter as the beginning of another rewarding career as a System Operator. His willingness to adapt, keep learning, and continue serving became one of the defining characteristics of his professional life.
Mackin (3rd from Right) as an apprentice lineman in San Francsico.
When I asked what lesson the job had taught him about life, his answer was simple.
“Persevere.”
It wasn’t just advice, it’s how Paul lived.
What once felt like the worst day of his career ultimately became one of its defining turning points. The line work he loved gave way to a new calling in Operations, where he would mentor generations of Operators and help shape the modern control centers our members work in today.
Every generation of Union members faces defining moments.
For Paul, one of those moments came during the turbulent downsizing of the mid-1990s.
Concerned that reductions in staffing and maintenance would ultimately affect reliability and customer service, Paul refused to remain silent. He wrote regulators, elected officials, newspapers, radio stations, and IBEW Local 1245 because he believed the public deserved to understand what was happening inside the company. His efforts ultimately helped bring national attention to the issue through a series of San Jose Mercury News investigations examining PG&E’s maintenance practices.
Mackin at the Concord Distribution Control Center with former PG&E CEO Geisha Williams
The company responded with system-wide communications defending its position.
Local 1245 responded by organizing informational demonstrations throughout the service territory.
Paul still remembers hundreds of Union members standing shoulder to shoulder, carrying informational signs outside PG&E facilities while educating customers about what they believed was at stake.
If Paul believed something mattered to safety, to fairness, or simply to doing the right thing, he wasn’t afraid to speak up.
“Paul was fearless as a Shop Steward and advocate for the Union. He was always willing to lock horns with management when the situation called for it.” said IBEW 1245 Assistant Business Manager Dave Sankey. “But, his willingness to share his time, knowledge and experience with every Apprentice and young Shop Steward is what will cement the legacy of his storied career in this industry. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work with Paul over the years and wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
Paul wasn’t content simply doing the work, he constantly looked for ways to improve it.
During the 1995 downsizing debate, Paul Mackin worked to educate the public through media interviews, community outreach, and informational campaigns about the importance of maintaining a safe and reliable electric system.
Working alongside fellow IBEW member Gary Nordine, Paul helped develop an innovative recycling program that transformed discarded utility materials into valuable resources while saving PG&E more than $50,000 in its first year alone. Despite skepticism and repeated setbacks, the two refused to quit.
“We knew from the beginning we were onto something,” Paul recalled years later. “We just didn’t give up.”
Their work earned national recognition, multiple awards, and PG&E’s prestigious General Manager’s Trailblazer Award.
Looking back, it’s difficult not to see a pattern.
Whether rebuilding circuits, mentoring apprentices, improving company operations, or representing members, Paul’s answer was always the same:
Keep working, keep improving, keep persevering.
When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck Northern California in 1989, Paul watched transmission towers near his home sway in ways he never imagined possible. Like countless IBEW members who have answered the call before and after him, he didn’t wait for instructions. He reported to work.
After helping address local damage, Paul volunteered to travel from Concord into Oakland to assist with restoration efforts under difficult and dangerous conditions. He later received a letter of appreciation recognizing his efforts during one of Northern California’s darkest days.
When asked about the earthquake today, Paul doesn’t focus on recognition, he simply remembers showing up because that’s what IBEW members do.
Paul Mackin wrote directly to the California Public Utilities Commission, warning that reductions in staffing and maintenance threatened the safety and reliability of California’s electric system. His advocacy helped bring broader attention to the issue.
As our evening together came to a close, Paul was asked whether he’d still stop by the Control Center after retirement.
He smiled. “I’m not even going inside. Once you’re done, you’re done.”
There wasn’t any sadness in the remark, only gratitude. A chapter completed.
Awards eventually gather dust, equipment is replaced, control centers are redesigned, even newspaper headlines fade.
But the people we invest in continue carrying our work forward. Every apprentice Paul trained. every Operator he mentored, every member he represented, every child he advocated for, every customer whose power was restored because he answered the call. Those are the true measure of a career.
Every generation of IBEW members inherits something from those who came before.
Brother Paul Mackin leaves us professionalism, humility, mentorship, courage, and an unwavering belief that the purpose of our work is larger than ourselves.
On behalf of the officers, staff, Shop Stewards, and members of IBEW Local 1245, thank you, Brother Paul, for forty-two years of extraordinary service.
Thank you for serving your country, thank you for serving your Union, thank you for serving your communities.
Most of all, thank you for serving the generations of IBEW members who are stronger because you took the time to teach them.
Enjoy your retirement, you’ve certainly earned it!
- IBEW 1245 Business Rep Mike Tilden