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New three-year collective bargaining agreement approved

Chelan County PUD
News Release
8/7/2006

A new three-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77 (IBEW) was approved by the Chelan County PUD Board of Commissioners on Monday afternoon, setting wages and working conditions for the period through July 31, 2009. The union had ratified the contract proposal last week.

The IBEW represents 491 PUD employees at the moment, of which 387 are full-time.
The agreement calls for wage increases of 3.69 percent this year, 3.43 percent in 2007 and 3.38 percent in 2008 (all effective Aug. 1). When applied to the traditional journeyman lineman rate, that represents hourly pay of $31.46 this year rising to $33.64 per hour in 2008. It also continues the level of health insurance benefits and maintains the ratio of cost-sharing at 88 percent paid by the PUD and 12 percent paid by the employee.

Employees whose ability to speak multiple languages used by the District in interacting with customers will be eligible to receive $100 per month in additional pay. The only language other than English the District requires at the moment is Spanish. In another provision, the District will set its match on 401(a) retirement accounts at a fixed 5 percent of annual pay, instead of a floating 3.81 percent scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2007.

While the contract’s salary provisions do not apply to the non-union workers at the PUD (pay raises traditionally are decided early each calendar year for salaried employees), most benefits are treated similarly. 

“Good work,” said PUD Commission President Gary Montague as the board approved the contract.

In other business, PUD commissioners:

• Heard a report on an underwater sonar camera that has been used to observe predators attacking juvenile fish at the entrance to the surface collector and bypass system at Rocky Reach Dam. In summarizing more than 1,750 hours of footage, Fish and Wildlife staff noted that northern pikeminnow are hiding in unexpected places in faster current near the entrance to ambush young fish headed into the bypass system and that new techniques for protecting juvenile salmon and steelhead will be discussed as a result.

• Heard a report from Hydro Services Director Gregg Carrington that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for Rocky Reach relicensing. PUD staff will review the large document and report back to commissioners about any changes that it contains. A preliminary look indicated that FERC had modified only about six of 100 proposed licensing provisions that had been submitted by all parties in a relicensing settlement agreement.

  ***

The next regular meeting of the PUD commission is at 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14, 2006, in the boardroom at 327 N. Wenatchee Ave.

Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at www.chelanpud.org.

Steve Lachowicz
Communications director
661-4639, direct line
679-0148, cell
stevel@chelanpud.org