The Newsletter of IBEW Local 45 www.ibew45.org Spring 2015

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IBEW Local 456255 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 721Hollywood, CA 90028

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Jobsite Visit: KPIX-TV

Agreement Thrown Down the Toilet’

NASCAR

KPIX-TV in San Francisco first signed onto the air in the late 1940s, the first television

station in Northern California. Now CBS owned and operated, a lot has changed in the world and in media over the course of the last seven de-cades. One thing that hasn’t changed is the need for a well-trained, fairly-

In March, NASCAR’s Auto Club 400 hosted a special ‘Tribute to Labor.’ Pic-tured is assistant cameraman Robert Clark as part of a four-person camera crew working in the pits at the Fontana Auto Club Speedway where the race was held.

compensated workforce to get the job done.

Open Channels recently paid a visit to KPIX and spoke with a num-ber of employees represented by Local 45. The staffers talked about their jobs, and the value of union representation.

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new KtVu owners ignore Contract

Projection Perfection online training Courses Spotlight on StewardsMeet LaCC ProjeCtioniSt aMoS rothbauM giVing MeMberS a Leg uP two LoCaL 45 MeMberS who get the job done

Bob Lai, an editor at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, has appreciated union mentorship throughout his career.

Union members and leader-ship are no strangers to con-flict when it comes to nego-

tiating or enforcing contracts in the workplace. Fox’s KTVU Channel 2 serves the Bay Area, but lately they haven’t been serving their employ-ees too well since new ownership took over in October of last year, essentially disregarding the stipula-tions of the contract set in place and slashing wages and benefits.

“They came in and basically threw it down the toilet,” said IBEW Local 45 Business Manager Elaine Ocasio. “And we worked hard on that contract. That was one of our best, strongest agreements that we had in the Bay Area.”

Employees used to have a one

hour paid lunch. Now that has been reduced to a half hour and is unpaid. This amounts to a 12.5 per-cent pay cut. They also took away night differential, short turnaround premium, master control upgrade and the cam tech upgrade. For the members who depend on these wages and benefits, this is devastat-ing, causing significant economic pain and mental stress.

“In the history of Local 45 this is the worst and most egregious assault on an agreement that we’ve seen,” said Northern California Rep Hugh McGuigan. “We are currently expending a lot of time and energy trying to get a new agreement in place for our members there.”

by MiChaeL MeSSina

Breaking: KRON Members Authorize Strike!Local 45 members at KRON in San Francisco have unanimously rejected management’s latest contract proposal and overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike. Local 45 Business Manager Elaine Ocasio, Business Representative Hugh McGuigan and others in leadership continue to com-municate with the employer in an attempt to hammer out a reasonable agreement.

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2 Open Channelswww.ibew45.org

spring 2015

Leading the ChargeRecently, much was made of the “Fight of the

Century” boxing match between Floyd May-weather and Manny Pacquiao. Well, lately

every day has felt like the “Fight of the Century” when it comes to our battles with a couple of television sta-tions in the Northern CA Bay Area.

As you can tell from the front page of this news-letter, things are far from golden in the city of the Golden Gate.

Shortly before going to press, we had some break-ing news in San Francisco with KRON. Our brothers and sisters at the television station unanimously rejected management’s latest contract offer, and the members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Now, I don’t want to see one of our affili-ates have to go on strike. I’d much rather keep our members working under the umbrella of a fair and equitable agreement. But if management continues to offer low-ball contracts and continues to not value the hard-working men and women that we represent, then I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. If that includes a strike, so be it. Until that time comes, Local 45 leadership is going back to the table with management to hammer out an agreement.

Things aren’t much better across the bay at KTVU in Oakland. When Fox purchased the station from Cox last year the new owners refused to honor the terms of our hard-fought agreement. That’s why we’ve filed Unfair Labor Practices against both Fox and Cox.

When will management learn that we will not al-low them to kick us around? The members of IBEW Local 45 are strong in our solidarity, and we have the

support and commitment to fight for what’s right.We are spotlighting our free on-line training in

this issue. On page 3 you can read what a couple of members have to say about taking advantage of Local 45s training opportunities. We continue to look for ways to help you advance in the work-place. Let us know how these courses have helped you and feel free to make suggestions of other training that may assist you in your careers.

In other news, I’m happy to announce that the nomination of Local 45 officers took place in May and ballots need to be received by Monday, June 22 when they will be counted. A union election is your opportunity to speak your mind and choose who you want leading the charge. It is your right as a union member to have this vote – exercise it!

In solidarity,Elaine OcasioBusiness Manager/Financial Secretary

by elaine ocasiobusiness Manager, ibew Local 45

IBEW Local 456255 Sunset Blvd # 721Hollywood, CA 90028(323) 851-5515

Business Manager/Financial SecretaryElaine Ocasio

Executive AssistantLupe Perez

Dues AdministratorMarceil Wright

BookkeeperAnthony Wainaina

Membership DepartmentRebecca Lehrmann

business representativesSouthern CaliforniaVictor Marrero

Northern CaliforniaHugh McGuigan

This newsletter produced bySenders Communications Group

Publisher - Cherri Senders

Editor - Robert Fulton

Writer - Michael Messina

Writer - Kelly Ross

Art Director - Michael Teitelbaum

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eLeCtion tiMe!All election ballots will be mailed out on June 1 and counted June 22. Please promptly fill out and submit your ballot. Ballots received after 9 a.m. on June 22, 2015 will not be counted. We ask that ev-eryone participate in the election process by voting!

Note: Only IBEW 45 members in good-standing are eligible to vote.

3

Projection PerfectionAmos Rothbaum, without question, is a master

of his trade. As a projectionist for Los Ange-les City College, he emits a certain amount

of pride and joy for a job that most would consider lucky to have. He is one of the last of his kind; a pro-fession that has steadily been taken over by advances in technology. And while Rothbaum embraces the benefits of new technology, he also recognizes some-thing has gotten lost in the transition.

“In regular theaters until last year, you got a film print, they would build it up into one big reel, thread the film, press the button once, film is over, re-thread if necessary, press the button again, you’re done,” Rothbaum said inside the dark projection room where just outside in the theater a class had begun watching the 1948 Italian classic “The Bicycle Thief.” “Here we do the old fashioned style, like it was in the beginning. I go from reel to reel doing changeovers going from projector to projector.”

Rothbaum has an affinity for film over digital, calling it cleaner and more vibrant. He will show 35 mm and 16mm at City College, and while “The Bicycle Thief” is neither of these, he will make sure the ex-perience is the same one a viewer would get inside a movie theater; film, DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS or otherwise.

“You’re not going to see the leaders, you’re not go-ing to see the menu, you’re not going to see anything you’re not supposed to. That’s the whole point,” Rothbaum said.

He also checks volume and vocals, checks prints

for damage and repairs them if necessary, and has brought in much of his own equipment to make the setup as top notch as possible.

Rothbaum, a native of Venezuela, has been projecting since the early ’80s and has been at City College since 1986. He is a licensed projectionist (this is especially needed for one of his other jobs where he will sometimes show nitrate film, which is flammable and can be dangerous) and got into the profession through his love of film. He enjoyed watching, but always hated when the presentation was flubbed.

“If I’m projecting you know it will be in focus and it will be framed correctly and in the right aspect ratio,” he said.

And in the same realm of getting things right, Rothbaum says IBEW 45 has been great since he returned to the union recently, get-ting what he calls honest and real representa-tion, and specifically referring to the atten-tiveness of Business Representative Victor Marrero.

“He is like a refreshing glass of cold lemon-ade,” Rothbaum said.

Rothbaum’s enthusiasm for projection is also refreshing. And while the students may not even know he is there, his passion for the position surely translates to a better educa-tional experience.

Online Training Courses Give Members a Leg Up

Meet amos rothbaum, Projectionist, La City College

Unions carry a reputation of having a mem-bership that is made up of some of the most skilled workers among the varying industries

they represent. This is no different at IBEW Local 45, and in order to maintain such a sharp workforce the union offers no small number of online courses to hone and perfect the skills of the membership. These courses are optional, but those who have taken them, through Lynda.com, have expressed great enthusi-asm and appreciation for their new skill sets.

One such member is Daniel Morehead, an Audio/Video Technician with the City of Los Angeles, under the umbrella of the LAPD. Morehead is part of a team that creates training videos for the recruits and in-service officers, as well as other video for special events like celebrations, demonstrations and protest coverage, and public service announcements.

“It’s a cool program,” Morehead said about the online courses. “I’ll pull up one of the programs and just view it first for four or five hours. Just getting a taste for what the instructor is talking about. Then I’ll go back and take notes. Then I’ll have those notes for work.”

Morehead has taken several courses and plans on taking more. He has taken Photoshop classes, video editing courses, and a guide to an Adobe suite that they’re getting involved with at the City of L.A. which includes video editing, audio editing and file conversion programs. Lynda also offers a certificate

of completion, of which Morehead has many. And he continues to be a big fan, signing up for new classes regularly.

He said one of the great conveniences of the program is that a tutorial can be loaded into his iPad and then, internet connection or not, he can have the tools to learn and get the job done at his fingertips.

Chauncey Carson, an editor and studio technician with KFSN in Fresno, has been taking the Final Cut Pro course and knows this will bolster his resume. He says the editor that he normally works with is efficient for the news, but does not nearly have the capa-bility of Final Cut Pro.

“I wanted to see what it could do and expand my knowledge on editing because a lot of stations use it,” Carson said. “I wanted to have that card in my wallet.”

He said the program has been challenging because of the sheer amount of information, but that the presentation is exceptionally well done.

“You hear the instructor’s voice – and she’s very clear and very precise – then the view is of her clicking through and navigating through Fi-nal Cut Pro,” Carson said. “It’s very good because the way they shot it works very well with the tutorial.”

Carson has been in the business for 30 years,

and been a member of IBEW 45 since the beginning when he was a stage manager. His job has changed and evolved over the years and he appreciates the ability to improve his skills via the online course, which he said is much more manageable.

“It’s not a high-pressured thing. We all have busy lives. It’s not a night course where you have to get in your car and go,” Carson said. “It’s at your discretion.”

Morehead has been a member of Local 45 for about seven years and recognizes the value of a tool so easily at hand.

“I once heard a quote,” he said. “‘The expense isn’t what it costs to train employees, it’s what it costs not to train them.’ There’s just a world of information within Lynda.”

Amos Rothbaum has worked at L.A. City College for nearly 30 years.

Daniel Morehead has taken several online training courses to sharpen his skills.

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spring 2015

Spotlight on Stewardstwo Local 45 members who get the job done

john Vandenberg, ge

edward jones, LaSd

At GE in Northern California, team Leader and IBEW Steward John Van-denberg has decades of industry experience under his belt and tirelessly works to mentor and serve his coworkers on a daily basis. Vandenberg, who has been a member of IBEW 45 since he started his career at GE, celebrated 26 years with the company this February. Needless to say, he is pretty good at what he does.

“I am a team leader, so I do field service on all the major appliance proj-ects in Northern California,” said Vandenberg, a local to Northern California for over 45 years. This means he is usually doing something different, some-where different every day, which has given him a unique understanding of his trade as well as a love for the mega-region.

As one of only three team leaders in the Bay Area, Vandenberg uses his leadership position to mentor his fellow workers. “They know they can call me and develop internships through me, or if they need any sort of help on the job, we’ve developed a sort of trust with me. If the guys ever need me, I’m here,” he said.

Vandenberg humbly jokes that he is “an old guy” in the industry, but there is nothing old about his work ethic and ability to go above and beyond what is expected of his position. And this is just what he did three years ago when a steward retired leaving large shoes to fill. “I saw a need, and I stepped up,” he said. “I just want to make sure when we bargain with a company we are represented and our voices are heard and that the company follows proto-col. It’s important that our basic needs are met and I work hard to do that.”

Police officers, firefighters, EMT’s and other professionals who work hard to keep the public sector running safely and smoothly rely heavily on tech-nology every day. These hardworking professionals depend on technicians to ensure that when they reach for that radio to call for assistance or use a piece of equipment in their vehicle it works.

Electronic Communications Technician Edward Jones at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department takes this responsibility very seriously.

“I keep the computers and the radios in the cars working,” Jones said. “You don’t want to be in some sort of emergency situation and not have those components working, so it’s important.”

Originally from a small town in Western New York, Jones moved to the West Coast for work. “I came to California in the Air Force and retired in 2013 as a reservist,” Jones said “I was in for 33 years before I retired. I started when I was 18.”

Jones is no stranger to hard work and has been with the sheriff’s depart-ment for over 18 years.

“I love what I do, I’ve been here a long, long time,” he said. When Jones became a member of IBEW 45 about seven years ago he

was struck by how much the union did for its members and jumped at the chance to be more involved.

“I saw that they needed a steward to run our section and I basically just volunteered,” said Jones. “I wanted to know how the union negotiated with the county and how it could help my coworkers.”

Now this former military man works tirelessly to ensure that his cowork-er’s needs are met.

“I just really want to help my fellow employees out, now I kind of under-stand the process more and can do more to help with employer issues,” Jones said.

by KeLLy roSS

5

Spotlight on Stewards Unfair labor practice charges have been filed against both the previous owner and the cur-rent one. Local 45 has been meeting with KTVU to try to get a new contract in place, but Mc-Guigan described a response that many would consider heartless.

“We challenged them on [their actions] and they said, ‘Well, we were within our legal right.’ Well, what’s legally right and morally right can often be different,” he said.

Ocasio agrees that it is one of the most sig-nificant challenges the local has faced in many years.

“It’s an assault on the bargaining agreement and on the bargaining process,” she said.

McGuigan said the toll this is taking on the members is no small matter, noting one member who is on the verge of losing his home because of the cut backs. McGuigan also said that employers often take opportunities like this to weaken the union, and that members at this point need to remain strong while the local works to sort things out, either through legal action or via a new contract.

“We remain hopeful that the board will find significant cause to level a complaint against the employer,” McGuigan said. “But in the meantime we will continue to meet with the employer to try and work out a new agree-ment.”

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KTVU Owners Ignore Contract Utility Training

In April, Local 45 partnered with our brothers and sisters at IBEW Local 48 to host a Utility Training in Portland, Oregon. The purpose of the five-hour training – which included protocol, etiquette and dress code – was to prep utilities in advance of upcoming FOX golf and football events and to better serve FOX Sports. Vic Permar, known as Super Utility, led the training.

Retirees Corner

A barbecue retirement party was held for General Electric employees and IBEW 45 members Ken Santy, Bill Sousa, Paul Smith and Steve Hawley. Northern California Rep Hugh McGuigan joined the festivities to honor the retirees.

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spring 2015

Here’s a round up of recent activity from Public Sector and Southern California Rep. Victor Marrero:

LA CITYThe negotiations between the City of Los Angeles (CAO’s Office) and the L.A./Orange County Build-ing and Construction Trades Council continued on April 21, 2015. The City is moving on some key issues. We are waiting for the next Coalition meeting date.

Here’s a round up of recent activity from North-ern California Rep. Hugh McGuigan:

KTVUWorking with the Local’s attorney we continue to pursue remedies to the many problems with the new owners as well as action against the former. Unfair Labor Practice charges have been filed against both. We are also proceeding with a grievance against COX for their failure to honor terms of the agreement as well as failing to insist that the agreement be assumed by FOX. At this point we remain hopeful that the board will find sufficient cause to issue a complaint against FOX and COX.

KPIXThe employer continues to have vehicle parking issues at the station and is incurring significant fines for illegal parking. Even with this problem the employer is threatening to park more of the vehicles unless there is some consideration for travel time. This has not been agreed to and remains an open issue.

A grievance was filed against ITA management after they eliminated Basharat Syed’s position at the 911 Center. This was a Senior Communication Electrician Supervisory position and they gave it to an ITA manager. Elaine and I met with ITA management and with the ITA supervisor of that section. She is arranging a meeting with the new ITA General Manager and the HR Director.

A letter from the Los Angeles City Employee Rela-tions Board was received regarding the arbitra-tion against LAPD for not paying stand-by during the weekdays – a violation of MOU #2.

A meeting with ITA’s Assistant General Manager was held regarding a member not receiving prop-er pay for an emergency appointment.

A shop meeting at Valley Dispatch Center was held to answer questions about negotiations and SEIU 721’s vote to strike. The strike vote was voted by SEIU members only and not the L.A./Or-ange County Building Trades Council.

LA COUNTYA shop meeting was held at USC Medical Center with the Medical Electronic Technicians (MET) to discuss the upcoming negotiations with the County and to find ways that the MET Committee can present a pay discrepancy issue at a presen-tation. I want to thank George Mutafyan for his input and participation.

A shop meeting was held with the ECT group at Lancaster. They work for the L.A. County ISD Department and we discussed issues at the shop. The issues range from promotions to more work responsibility.

A Labor/Management meeting with the L.A. Coun-ty Fire Department, our ECT group and IBEW Local 11 was held to discuss our member’s con-cerns. The major issue that we have with the Fire Department is that they are assigning firefighters to program radios to new frequencies. In the past, we have filed grievances over this issue, but they

KRONThe members at KRON have spoken quite loudly about the low-ball contract offer the employer presented. By a unanimous vote the members rejected the package. Speaking even louder the members voted overwhelmingly to authorize the bargaining team to call a strike if necessary. We are now in contact with the employer about getting back together to see if we can get a fair and reasonable contract.

KCRAIn preparation for upcoming negotiations with the employer a shop meeting was held in April. The meeting was well attended and the mem-bers made numerous contract improvement suggestions. We are now preparing proposals to present to the employer. We are scheduled to meet on June 18 and 19 for our initial bargain-ing sessions. Due to an illness of our selected ar-bitrator we requested that the employer agree to select a replacement. This request was rejected with the employer taking the position that the issue can be worked out at bargaining.

Notes From Around the Union: Public Sector & Southern Cal Report

Notes From Around the Union: Northern California Report

GEThe sale of the appliance business is moving ahead and it appears that it will complete in the July/August time frame. Electrolux has not been responsive to IBEW requests for information. Initially they indicated that they would partici-pate in bargaining but have now backed away from that position. It is unclear what the new employer’s plans are as to the agreement and business operations. Business Representative Hugh McGuigan will be attending an IBEW/GE council meeting at the end of June and we hope that some clarity will come from those meetings.

KFSN The local continues to process claims against the employer for their failure to grant the new and improved vacation policy to Union employees.

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Working California

Local 45 members enjoyed the Working Californian’s Second Annual Social Inno-vation Summit at L.A. Trade Tech College on April 11. The Summit was a one day business school for working people taught by top programs from USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Governor Jerry Brown’s Office of Business Development, the office of Secretary of State Alex Padilla and entrepreneurs Austin Beutner and Mickey Kantor. There were panel discussions, local entrepreneurs as well as top brands such as IBEW, Chipotle, Verizon, Jack Daniels and many more in atten-dance. The day ended with cash and electronic prizes and live music. The event was free to 10 Local 45 members seeking to expand their entrepreneurial skills.

continue to violate our jurisdiction. I explained to the Fire Department’s Human Resources Director that this is a violation of FCC rules and requested that for the safety of the public to cease this practice. I was informed that they will investigate this matter and that they will get back to me on this issue at the next meeting.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s ECT shop is beginning to hire new Electronic Communication Techni-cians. I will be visiting the shop soon.A member of the L.A. County telephone section wants to file a grievance because he has been acting as a senior employee for six years and the County has not hired him permanently. I commented that they are abusing the system and recommended that he file the grievance. I informed him that I will be presenting this issue in the negotiation meeting this year.

LAUSDThe LAUSD Board approved our contract and also voted to continue paying the members’ health insurance until the end of this contract.

Business Manager Ocasio has appointed a new steward after the previous member retired.

A District Technology Advisory Committee meet-ing was held, which I attended. My main goal is

to develop and train our members for the future in new technology so that we can assist in the new MISIS system.

A member of the negotiation team and I met to discuss the possible timeline for our members to receive their raise. He explained that it will take six to eight weeks. He told me that he will speak with the controller to get a better idea of the timeline. He will then send me an email with the informa-tion.

LACCDA shop meeting with the Theater and Communi-cation Departments at LACC was held to discuss the issues that they are having with the new supervisor. I have requested a meeting with the main person from each department to discuss our members’ concerns.

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONSA member was discharged by Charter Communi-cations some time ago. After winning a grievance and arbitration, the company continued to appeal the decision. The court ruled in our favor and ordered the company to put our member back to work and to also give him back pay. He went to work last week and the company is sending him to train on new equipment since he has been gone for almost three years.

We filed a grievance on a new discharge after the

company did not provide us with all the details of the discharge. Business Manager Ocasio has requested to meet on a second level step so that they can provide us with all the information.

Business Manager Ocasio has requested a meet-ing with all stewards to discuss holiday work assignments by the company.

CAPITOL RECORDSThe steward and I met and we went over the new contract and found some errors that need to be corrected.

We had a meeting with the members to discuss the new company policy. The members want us to arrange a Labor/Management meeting with the company to clarify some of the items in the policy.

KCBS/KCALBusiness Manager Ocasio and I had a meeting with the station’s photographers to discuss vari-ous issues.

KGET (BAKERSFIELD)We finally received the signed contract and it was distributed to our members.

KBAK (BAKERSFIELD)All the members received a copy of the new contract.

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Bob LaiEditor

Now, I’m an editor. I’ve pretty much done everything but shoot. I started off as a production assistant, did ENG for a stretch, operated the satellite truck, then I pinched a nerve so I couldn’t go back out in the field, so I’m doing mostly editing now. It will be 29 years in June.

It’s great. This is news. There are days where it’s bor-ing, routine, and then there are stories where you’re going “Wow, I was part of that, I got to see it.” And it’s not always disasters. Sometimes there’s some really good stuff out there. I’ve seen four Popes come and go, the Giants win the World Series three times, Super Bowls, all of those things, it’s just fun being there.

Originally the position I was filling wasn’t covered. The union kept saying, “We need to bring Bob into the union, we want to assure quality.”

(Continued FroM Page 1)KPIX

KPIX, in their own words:

Maureen CroweNews Microwave & Satellite Ops/Editor

We’re kind of a catch all. We do a lot of different things here.

Well, I joined IBEW in Hartford, Connecticut, back in the late ’70s. Then I was inactive in IBEW, and when I came to work here in ’98 I became active. I think I’d be working for pennies if it wasn’t for the union, consider-ing what’s been happening since Reagan’s time.

Angela BarraganMaster Control Operator

Basically I’m responsible for everything that goes out over the air. I like to multitask. I like the pressure. It’s almost addicting. When you get that phone call from news, you are in a whole different mode. You have to put them on air. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I like the challenge and I like being busy and challenged. It’s the perfect job for me.

We were at KBHK and we were bought out by CBS. So a few of us were brought over here, and I was one of the survivors. I’ve been in the union since 1991.

It’s a constant battle with companies where they don’t want to pay you or give you benefits, so hav-ing the protection [of the Union] is really comforting. I think it’s so important because we do need to be protected.

Dennis Patton Broadcast Technician

It’s a lot of fun to watch television basically and get paid for it. I like the people I work with. I’ve been doing it a long time. We’ve got news, we’ve got sports, we’ve got things that most people like to watch. It’s just a lot of fun. It’s fun to work with people who are profession-als and do a good job.

I’ve got a full-time job. I’ve been through several contracts here. It’s a 40-hour week and we get good benefits.

Mike MonederoProduction Assistant

I do all of the in-between stuff and the reporter does all the writing and the interviews. I do all of the in between stuff like setting up the interviews, doing pre-interviews, stuff like that, a lot of the behind the scenes moving parts.

I get opportunities to write, I get opportunities to shoot some stuff occasionally. There’s a lot of opportu-nity for me to practice new things and learn new skills.

I’ve never been part of a union before, so it’s an in-teresting and new experience. It’s just nice to know that there are people you can go to when you’re having a problem at work other than your immediate superior. It’s nice to have someone who’s first priority is you and making sure that you’re taken care of.

We are processing a grievance as well as NLRB charges.

KSEE/KGPEThe bargaining team was able to get all of the non-economic issues resolved at our last session. We were hopeful that we would then be able to work quickly through the monetary items. Regret-tably the employer’s wage offer was insulting at best and more sessions are scheduled. Local 45 members at KSEE/KGPE have been very support-ive and remain resolved in getting a new contract. The offer from the employer showed no respect for the work our members do and a half of a per-cent raise is not even worthy of consideration.

DAY WIRELESSOwner Gordon Day met with Business Rep Hugh McGuigan to discuss terms for a new agreement. Gordon expressed concern that the location continues to run in the red and he is reluctant to increase his costs additionally. He did however offer to improve standby treatment, meal period penalties and some improvement to holiday and sick pay treatment. We will be meeting with the membership to discuss this offer. Also of note, former member and steward Jerry Kornbau has returned and has again offered to be shop stew-ard.

KTXLThe Local is processing a grievance against the employer for failure to pay meal period penal-ties to REPORTER/MMJ’s. With the contract only signed into place this past January it is unfortu-nate that arbitration is already necessary. Even though the contract is quite clear the employer is asserting that they did not intend for the meal period treatment to apply to REPORTER/MMJ’s.

GOLF UTILITY TRAININGGolf training for our members was held on April 24 in Portland, Oregon. Recently the Union and FOX Sports reached an agreement to do golf work in the area and training was needed. Our Sister Local 48 was gracious enough to offer space to conduct the course. Business Representative Hugh McGuigan attended the training on behalf of Lo-cal 45.

MUTUAL SUPPORTIBEW 48 in Portland along with IATSE and AFTRA are in a labor dispute with Gannett Broadcast-ing. There was a rally against the employer on Saturday, April 25 in Pioneer Square. In a show of support Local 45 attended while in town for the above mentioned training.

NOMINATIONS FOR UNION OFFICESNomination meetings were held around Northern California on Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13.

(Continued FroM Page 6)Nor-Cal ReportI think it’s good because, first of all, the union is

there to provide a uniform work environment for all of our members. That’s something we kind of take for granted. Weekends off, overtime, all that stuff, it’s kind of gone into the background. When you go back to the history of the IBEW, you realize there had to be some serious fights for workplace safety and stuff we kind of count on now.

I like the fact that throughout my career I’ve had older union members mentor me and bring my skills up to the next level. You’re passing the torch down to the next generation. That’s important.