From the trenches...

           Reports from your Business Reps

Unit 1 – Electric Distribution
By Barry Poole

The Lineman’s Rodeo was held Saturday, May 17th at the Truesdale Training Center. A total of 21 journeyman and 25 apprentice teams competed. They represented a number of cities and utilities, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Southern California Edison, Arizona APS, the City of Anaheim, Glendale Water and Power, and Imperial Irrigation District.

DWP teams were the top finishers in the journey and apprentice events.

Journey Team Results:

First place: (Brothers Graham Peace, Dave Schneider, and Sean Nicklaw)
Second place: (Brothers Ben Rodriguez, Troy Couch, and Scot Osborn)
Third place: (Brothers Omar Diaz, Armando Estrella, and Randy Bowen)

Apprentice Team Results:

First place: (Brothers Curt McMillon and Travis Rappleye)
Second place: (Brothers Troy Flesher and Jess Zitlau)
Third place: (Brothers Derek Wert and David Kelly)

Congratulations to the winners and everyone who tested their skills!

Special thanks go to all the members and volunteers who helped organize this event at the EDMT training center.

Unit 2 – Electrical Station Operators
By Bill Lewis

• Congratulations to Kevork Armon on his recent retirement. His luncheon was fun and the food was great!

• Your management has received preliminary authority to start discussing the development of a system wide operator. Most of you remember the last go-around on this subject. With new players at the table, and new ideas, I believe there is a solution to this issue. A committee will be appointed to identify the issues.

Unit 3 - Testers
By Bill Lewis

The Training Committee is meeting monthly and making progress. We are currently working on the lesson plans for the nine major sections of the curriculum. At each meeting, we have identified new issues that will need to be addressed. I am confident that the members of the committee will make sure all issues are resolved. A first-rate program is on the horizon.

Unit 8 – Clerical
By Shawn McCloud & Geralyn Washington-Tatum

We are actively working with Mark Hollister on an evacuation process for the District Offices in the power yards.

Unit 18 – Supervisory Clerical
By Shawn McCloud & Geralyn Washington-Tatum

• In addition to those listed in previous issues of the Surge, we have conducted site visits at the Wilmington Branch Office, West Los Angeles Field Groups and Branch Office. Site visits are conducted on your own time, usually during lunch. If you would like a site visit at your work location, please contact the Union Hall.

• We haven’t forgotten about the Clerical and Supervisory Clerical and Administration Bid Plan Committees. The Steering Committee has received a final draft from almost all of the Bid Plan Subcommittees. Once received, a proposal to the Main Bid Plan Committee will be presented. We will keep you posted.

• Worker Safety Tours are being conducted in various areas throughout the Department. If you would like a tour of your area, please contact the Union Hall.

Unit 9 – Generating Stations
By Gus Corona

The maintenance of the plants has become a major concern in the last few months. We have begun addressing the need for training of plant-maintenance personnel. Another issue that we are currently examining is the use of other business groups to perform routine maintenance. We will seek input from the maintenance personnel at all the generating stations, as well as the groups that participate in the overhaul of the generating units, in order to establish a procedure for the maintenance of the plants that we can then present to management.

Unit 14 - Transportation
By Bill Lewis

Remember to attend your Unit meetings. They are held the second Wednesday of each month. Even-numbered monthly meetings are held at the Temple Street yard, and odd-numbered monthly meetings at Truesdale.

Unit 15/20 – Pasadena
By Barry Poole

Negotiations are on-going. We continue to work towards a three-year agreement. Members of the Negotiating Committee are Mohamed Youines, Sonny Brassie, Mike Coil, Larry Husted, Victor Jaime, and Brad Secreto. If you have any questions, please contact a negotiating- committee member from your section or attend your Unit 15/20 meeting.

Unit 17 – Customer Service Field Groups
By Nancy Romero

• The Mobile Data Dispatch System (MDDS) is scheduled to go live in Field Investigations (FI) by the end of July, or early August, 2004. Re-Reads will follow after FI.

• Any Senior Commercial Field Representative who wishes to do a ride-along with the Revenue Security Unit (RSU) should contact his/her Supervisor. Ride-alongs with the RSU can be scheduled for the beginning of August.

• Attention all CFRs: the Department has brought in an Ergonomist to work with the members on how best to input the work into the new hand-held devices. For now, if you are experiencing any pain or strain as a result of the inputting information into your hand-held, please see your supervisor. Please be advised that we are currently working hard on the CFR Joint Labor Management Committee to assure that our members perform all of the necessary duties in a safe manner.

• On another note, we are working with Department management in order to determine the effectiveness of the pilot program in the Field Collections Unit—the one that started by having the parameters changed for the work orders. As of this writing, the changes that management has made to the system have worked out well. The collections have gone up and the members are working high-priority orders. Our members are encouraged to stay positive as we make the necessary adjustments. We still will have to come to an agreement over some unresolved issues about working within the territories. If you have a suggestion about improving the current method of how the work is dispatched, please see any of the CFR Joint Labor-Management Committee members: Javier Cordova; Darlene Goodrum; Tony Marufo; Daniel Montelongo, and Skip Westbrook.

Unit 19B – Shops
By Gus Corona

• The Shops Joint Labor-Management Committee has scheduled meetings on the second Tuesday of the month. We will be alternating the meetings between the Main St. Yard and the Local 18 Union Hall. Some of the issues we will be dealing with include, among others, the accumulated overtime list, rotation of helpers to different crews, and contracting-out of shops work.

• The Shops Bid plan is close to being completed. It will be sent out for a vote of approval by those members participating in the plan.

Unit 22 - ESRs
By Bill Lewis

Rumor has it that the senior positions might finally get filled. Keep your fingers crossed, but don’t hold your breath! The outline for training is still being developed. I am sure that it will be complete before the Department hires more Service Reps.

Unit 24 – Water Supply
By Ken Delgado

• At the last Unit 24 meeting, there was an in-depth discussion concerning why the bid plan for the Water Utility Operators (WUO) was not being followed. The next day after the meeting, I contacted Department management about getting your bid plan back in order. Believe me, I understand your frustration, and I will do whatever I have to in order to make this right! I know very well that every WUO is anxious to get the bid plan back.

• The Regulation Section will be undergoing some changes because members are not being treated fairly. There is talk about the Regulation Section going back to the Districts because of a lack of communication and support from them. But in reality, it is your own management that is not addressing your issues and concerns! All of you know what has to be done, and what you need, in order to make this work. As always, I will work as hard as I can to keep your section independent. On the same day that I discussed the WUO Bid Plan, I also brought up this matter with management. Ultimately, I believe we all want this to work. Together, we all can reach a solution that satisfies everyone. I will keep you informed on this matter.

Unit 26 – Custodial
By Nancy Romero

• After many meetings and discussions that encouraged all Department Business Units to transfer their permanent Custodial Services Attendants into Facilities Maintenance Business Group (FMBG), the Water Business Units have agreed to the transfer. There are currently eight Permanent CSAs who have been working under the direction of the Water Business Units. They will now come under the operational function of FMBG. If the past is any indication of the future, these CSAs should expect to see positive changes in their current working conditions. This functional transfer became official on June 28, 2004.

• As always, we encourage all the CSAs to join us at our Unit meeting on the third Thursday of the month, at the Local 18 Union Hall. Many important issues and topics are being discussed. Come and join us!

Unit 31 – Professionals
Unit 35 – Supervisory Technical & Business Administration
By Leslie Abbott

• The Executive Equity Committee (EEC) has begun accepting inequity proposals from the Professional, Technical, Administrative, Supervisory Professional and Supervisory Technical bargaining units. The EEC is a standing Joint Labor-Management Committee that reviews inequities filed by Local 18-represented employees. It is an advisory body to the Joint Resolution Board, which is the final approval authority for inequities. For more information about the EEC and the inequity proposal process, please read the article by Dave Huff, labor co-chair of the EEC, from the October 2003 Surge, at www.ibewlocal18.com If you are interested in getting involved in any committees, please let me know!

• A crucial part of how Local 18 and DWP work together is through Joint Labor-Management Committees (JLMCs). It will take a while, but our new members are gradually being incorporated into the JLMC network. Pro Unit members John Abdemalak, Charli Dong and Mostafa Haji serve on three of the Steam Plant committees. Pro Unit member Phil Omlor serves on the subcommittee for Operating Order Two. Serving on the Business Process Improvement JLMC are Super Tech members Greg Kung, Peggy Mizumoto and Bill Wright, along with Pro Unit member Dominic Lerma.

• The mission of the Local 18-DWP Joint Safety Institute (JSI) is to “create and foster a culture and environment that continuously improves workplace health and safety to prevent injuries and illnesses to fellow workers.” JSI conducts a number of safety-related workshops at its facility in Sun Valley. In its highly interactive introductory workshop, Safety Information and Actions, JSI emphasizes safety as a 24/7 value, both on and off the job. Local 18 has always encouraged all of our members to attend this workshop, and we now encourage our new membership to attend, as well. For more information, check out the JSI site on the DWP Intranet. If you are interested in attending any JSI workshops, please contact me, and Local 18 will work with your Business Unit to get you scheduled.

• You can always find the monthly meeting schedule for all of Local 18’s evening meetings on our website: www.ibewlocal18.com. Please join us for your unit meeting and for Parent Body, Local 18’s general membership meeting.

• I can be reached at labbott@ibewlocal18.com or 213/387-8274, ext. 110.

Unit 32 – Technical
Unit 33 – Administrative
Unit 34 – Supervisory Professional
By Kerry McCorkle

• I continue to identify potential member leadership in the Technical Unit. Please contact me if you are interested in becoming a Shop Steward or a Joint Labor-Management Committee (JLMC) participant. There are already several Technical Unit members appointed or nominated to JLM committees. There are opportunities for you to take an active role in your Union’s activities such as monthly unit meetings, Worker Safety Group Tours, and JLM committees. Come to the monthly unit meetings and get involved.

• I am actively engaged in the Notice of Compliance (NOC) process to fight the contracting out of your work. Local 18 reviews every proposed contract that includes bargaining unit work. Local 18 is vigilant in protecting your work from contracting out.

• Technical Unit meetings are scheduled on the second Wednesday of every month, at 5:30 p.m., at the Local 18 Union Hall.

• Administrative Unit meetings are scheduled on the third Wednesday of every month, at 5:30 p.m., at the Local 18 Union Hall.

• Supervisory Professional Unit meetings are scheduled on the first Tuesday of every month, at 5:30 p.m., at the Local 18 Union Hall.

• You can always reach me at 213/387-8274, ext. 138, or at kmccorkle@ibewlocal18.com.

Unit 50 – Burbank
By Barry Poole

• The contract-ratification ballot was counted on Monday, June 14, and it passed. The contract period is for one year, from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005. Thanks to all the negotiation-team members for their hard work: John Washington; Tom Wilke; Jeff Hancock; Barry Heller; James Anderson; Bill Hamilton; Russ Riegler; Stephen Forrest, and Chuck Malys.

• The enhanced-retirement coalition continues to meet. We are in the process of forming a new proposal to take to the City.

Unit 53 – Water
By Ken Delgado

There is a Water Infrastructure Joint Labor-Management Committee (JLMC) in place. Among other things, it evaluates trunkline, distribution and meter services. We are assessing the needs and issues in these areas, such as prioritizing work, ensuring that we have the right parts and fittings to perform current tasks, and repairing the older sections of the system, where we need old-style fittings or “odd-ball” sizes.

Labor’s representatives for this evaluation are Raul Ramirez from the Water Distribution, Central District, Pat Moore from Trunkline, and Thomas Lim from the Meter Shop, Western District. If you have any ideas or solutions about how we can make our jobs run more smoothly, please contact these representatives so that they can bring them up at the next JLMC meeting. The JLMC meetings are on a monthly basis.

Unit 55– Communications
By Nancy Romero

• We want to thank the members who stepped up to the plate, and will be joining us on the Worker Safety Tours for the Information Technology Services Business Unit (ITSBU). Thank you for expressing an interest in improving the safety conditions of all of our members working in the ITSBU.

• As of this writing, we are still working with Department management in an effort to standardize all of the Accumulated Overtime Logs and the policies governing the distribution of overtime. We anticipate finishing this process soon. We have already met several times regarding this issue. We are confident that the process will be over soon and a final memo from ITSBU will be distributed to all members. We will keep members abreast about this issue via the Surge and at your unit meetings.

Unit 60 – Waterworks Mechanic
By Ken Delgado

The matter of jurisdiction between Water Works Mechanics (WWM) and Water Utility Operators (WUO) continues to be a touchy subject for all involved. It has been an on-going concern for some time now. We are trying to get back to the basics: who does what on the job. There is a Jurisdiction Joint Labor-Management Committee (JLMC) in place—it was on hold for a while, but now is back on the calendar. This is your opportunity to contact your JLMC Rep., Mike Fitzepatrick (WWM), and give him any information or ideas you have that might help us resolve this jurisdictional issue.