Meetings set for March 27 to update employees Photos by John Storey The IBEW 1245 Sunoptics bargaining committee has met several times since Sunoptics employees voted for union representation in January. The IBEW committee has met four times with company negotiators, most recently on March 19. Company negotiators travelled in from Baltimore, MD and Crawfordsville,… [Read More]
IBEW 1245 members at AnsaldoBreda keep Muni healthy
Story by Eric Wolfe, Photos by John Storey When a San Francisco Muni vehicle is damaged in an accident, it is shrink-wrapped in plastic, loaded onto a flatbed truck, and taken to the doctor. OK, maybe not a real doctor. But the IBEW 1245 members working for AnsaldoBreda Inc. in Pittsburg, CA are the experts… [Read More]
Todd Shiels appointed to Advisory Council
Todd Shiels has been appointed to the IBEW 1245 Advisory Council to represent the manufacturing sector. Shiels, 41, works for Lockheed Martin Space Systems, one of the nine manufacturing companies now represented by IBEW 1245 after the merger with IBEW 2131. Congratulations Brother Shiels!
Sunoptics bargaining gets underway
The negotiating committee for the new IBEW 1245 bargaining unit at Sunoptics met across the table from management for the first time on Feb. 18. The two sides exchanged proposals on non-economic issues, according to Business Rep. Cruz Serna. Economic issues, as is usually the case, will be addressed last. The union committee plans to… [Read More]
Juarez and Salkauskas honored for Illinois campaign
They weren’t looking for recognition—they just wanted to help. But the good work of IBEW 1245 Organizing Stewards Jammi Juarez and Casey Salkauskas won well-deserved praise at the Advisory Council on Feb. 1. The two organizing stewards spent nearly three weeks in Illinois last fall to help workers win an organizing drive at a Greenlee… [Read More]
New Sunoptics unit congratulated at Advisory Council
Sunoptics employees were congratulated at the IBEW 1245 Advisory Council on Feb. 1 for their courageous and successful campaign to organize a union. “They were dealing with major issues: lack of respect, safety, shift changes” and some bad managers, IBEW Organizer Jennifer Gray told the Advisory Council. “This is an amazing group. They circulated authorization… [Read More]
Merger opens new chapter at IBEW 1245
By Rebecca Band After struggling for years to provide top-notch representation with exceedingly limited resources, IBEW Local 2131 has officially merged with IBEW Local 1245. IBEW 2131, a small, Bay Area-based manufacturing local, represents just over 300 workers who manufacture everything from home electronics to high-tech equipment for nine signatory employers, including Lockheed Martin Space… [Read More]
Injured Brother given assistance by Advisory Council members
Sunoptics negotiating committee members presented co-worker Craig Parker with a check for $1,440 on Feb. 4. The money was collected by passing the hat at the Advisory Council on Feb. 1 to help Brother Parker defray costs associated with a recent work-related injury that has prevented him from working. Parker was also presented with a… [Read More]
Victory! Sunoptics workers choose IBEW 1245
In a classic union representation election that pitted anti-union managers and consultants against an energetic organizing team, workers at Sacramento-based Sunoptics chose to be represented by IBEW Local 1245. The vote, conducted under the supervision of the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 10, was 48-29. “The feeling is indescribable,” IBEW Organizer Jennifer Gray… [Read More]
Union election set for Sunoptics
Workers at Sunoptics, a Sacramento-based manufacturer of prismatic skylights, will vote Jan. 10 on union representation by IBEW Local 1245. The union filed the petition for election with the National Labor Relations Board on Nov. 26 after more than three-quarters of Sunoptics’ employees signed authorization cards seeking IBEW representation. The organizing drive was sparked when… [Read More]