Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2015)
PAGE 4 | December 18, 2015 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS IBEW Local 125 members ratify contract at Pacific Power by 72 percent margin In votes counted Dec. 14, mem- bers of International Brother- hood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 125 approved a new four-year contract with Pa- cific Power by 72 percent. Local 125’s previous collec- tive bargaining agreement with Pacific Power expired Jan. 26, 2015. In June and again in Au- gust, members voted down company proposals by over- whelming margins, and on Sept. 1, 2015, they authorized the union to call a strike. But the two sides continued to negoti- ate, and they reached tentative agreement Dec. 2 after the com- pany improved its wage and health insurance offers. The union bargaining committee recommended that members ap- prove the deal. Under the new agreement, workers will get 2 percent wage increases immediately, followed by 2 percent increases on Jan. 26, 2016, and Jan. 26, 2017, and a 2.5 percent increase on Jan. 26, 2018. They’ll also get a one-time stipend of 1 percent of gross wages dating back to January 2015 in lieu of retroactive pay. Most other terms and condi- tions remain the same, including the company’s health insurance contribution. The biggest item of contention earlier was Pacific Our members have the power to make the season bright. Enjoy Your Holiday Season from IBEW Local 125 17200 NE Sacramento, Portland, OR 503-262-9125 Power’s demand that employees pay 25 percent of the premium in the final year of the con- tract— up from the current 22 percent, which already amounts to $400 to $600 a month out of paychecks. In the end, the two sides agreed that members will continue to pay 22 percent, un- less premiums rise above a set threshold. The new agreement expires Jan. 25, 2019. It covers about 320 linemen, meter readers, substation wiremen and other workers at the utility in a service area that includes parts of Ore- gon, Washington and Montana. Pacific Power and parent company PacifiCorp are owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. May Your Holiday be filled with the Joy of the Season from Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 114 OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE BOARD, MEMBERS & STAFF
