General
Agreement between the Utility Workers Union of America, International Chemical
Worker’s Union and the Southern California Gas Company
2005
(Proof
Set for Printing)
Article
I
Labor/Management
Peace Principles
1.1
– SoCalGas and the Union agree that it is in their mutual interest to work in an
environment where there is labor/management peace and cooperation in order to
meet competitive challenges, secure economic security for the employees and
better serve SoCalGas customers.
1.2
– SoCalGas and the Union recognize that the business success of the Company is
necessary to provide employees economic security.
1.3
– SoCalGas and the Union will attempt to settle matters of mutual concern such
as environmental concerns, individual safety concerns, and administrative
matters in the spirit of the partnership in lieu of resorting to administrative,
environmental, safety, NLRB, etc., type of complaints.
1.4
– SoCalGas will ensure that its management team adheres to the principles and
spirit governing this partnership.
1.5
– The Union National/Local elected leadership will officially communicate to its
membership and appointed leaders (i.e., shop stewards, etc.) that they must
adhere to the principles and spirit governing this partnership and will
proactively intervene if lack of adherence occurs.
1.6
– The Union agrees not to intervene in local, state or federal regulatory or
administrative hearings, proceedings or investigations, or with financial
institutions for purposes of opposing SoCalGas or undermining its business
interest. Both parties recognize,
however, that from time to time the Union and SoCalGas may be on opposing sides
of issues and agree that in such circumstances full discussion of such
differences will take place before such differences appear in a public
forum.
1.7
– The Union will discontinue their sponsorship of any and all campaigns against
SoCalGas, its products, and/or management.
1.8
– SoCalGas and the Union agree that in order to work in a true partnership that
embodies trust, it is necessary for each to share information about business
issues, including, on occasion, sensitive information and operating
information. In order to accomplish
this, SoCalGas and the Union will meet at mutually agreed times to discuss the
information and these issues and other matters of general concern that are
important to the maintenance of the partnership.
1.9
– SoCalGas supports employees’ rights to gain economic security through
collective bargaining in their Unions.
1.10
– SoCalGas will remain neutral in all organizing drives conducted by the Union
for bargaining unit work, as defined by this Agreement, performed by SoCalGas or
subsidiaries of SoCalGas, which operate or come to operate in the territory
currently served by SoCalGas (service territory as of 8-8-96). If the Union secures a simple majority
of authorization cards, subject to a mutually agreed upon verification and
validation process, in an organizing drive as described above, for an
appropriate bargaining unit, then the Company shall recognize the Union as
representative for bargaining purposes for that unit without a secret ballot
election conducted by the NLRB. The
authorization card shall read, “I___________, wish to have the UWUA/ICWUC
represent me as my exclusive bargaining representative for wages, hours, and
other terms and conditions of employment”, and all representations by the Union
will be consistent with this language.
The above shall not be applicable to any situation in which SoCalGas
acquires in any fashion an existing business or company performing work relating
to existing bargaining unit work.
1.11
– SoCalGas will remain neutral in all organizing drives conducted by the Union
at SoCalGas.Article
II
Management/Union
Rights, Relationships, Responsibilities
2.1
– Management Rights
(A)
General Statement: The
Company has and will retain the unquestionable and exclusive right and power to
manage its business and direct the working forces, including the right to
hire, classify, grade, suspend, discharge, promote, demote or transfer its
employees, provided it does not conflict with the provisions of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to
or is to be construed in any way to interfere with the recognized prerogative of
the Company to manage and control the business.
(B)
Contracting Out:
(1)
Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement, the Company shall not contract
out work performed by the following classifications (hereinafter called
“fenced-in classifications”).(2)
Routine Work: The
Company retains its right to determine the best course to follow with regard to
expanding or contracting the regular working force.
The
Company retains the right to contract out in the following situations: fluctuating or seasonal work loads where
the employment of additional regular employees could reasonably be expected to
result in periodic shortages of work for such regular employees; to avoid
payment of overtime rates; to conduct pilot programs; when contractors have
specialized skills or equipment which make it more efficient for the Company to
utilize them.
No
layoff of regular employees shall occur as a result of contracting out under the
provisions of this section.
(3)
Special Projects: The
Company will continue, as in the past, to employ architects and contractors, as
occasion and fair outside business relations may require, for construction and
building operations and for special maintenance projects not regularly a part of
its activities in producing and distributing natural gas. The Company will not undertake to
regulate the conditions of employment which may prevail under outside contracts
or subcontracts covering such construction, building or
maintenance.
2.2
– Union Rights
(A)
Recognition:
The
Company recognizes the Union for those units where the Union, through National
Labor Relations Board certification, has been designated as the exclusive
bargaining agency for employees of the Company covered by this Agreement, i.e.,
employees represented by Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, and
International Chemical Workers Union Council of the UFCW, AFL-CIO jointly, as
certified by the NLRB in Case No. 21-RC-11756; and employees represented by
Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, as certified by the NLRB in Case Nos.
31-RC-1072 and 31-RM-164 and in Case No. 21-AC-41.
The
Company shall notify the Union when it creates an entirely new nonmanagement job classification or work location. This notification shall include
pertinent facts including, but not limited to: classification, department, and the work
location where the classification is proposed to be
placed.
Southern
California Gas Company agrees that this Agreement shall apply in the event that
it decides, in its sole judgment, to create a new subsidiary to perform
bargaining unit work within its current service territory. Whenever the Company or a subsidiary of
the Company creates a job classification within its current service territory
(as of August 8, 1996) which performs production, maintenance, technical or
clerical work with job duties consistent with bargaining unit work, such
classifications shall also be included in the Agreement.
The
Company further agrees that, effective the date of the Agreement, general and
accounting clerical positions shall be included in the bargaining unit. The Union hereby agrees the incumbents
defined above shall have bargaining unit seniority based upon their hire
date. However, positions
traditionally excluded by the Company due to performance of confidential work
(including, but not limited to Human Resources personnel or personnel performing
Human Resources functions, secretaries [Associates/Assistants] of all levels,
department heads and above), classifications which the Union has previously
relinquished their representational rights to (including, but not limited to
Marketing), and positions historically regarded by the Company as management are
also excluded.
Recognition
described above shall not be applicable to any situation in which the Gas
Company acquires in any fashion an existing business or company performing work
relating to existing bargaining unit work.
Their inclusion shall only be determined in connection with appropriate
proceedings before the NLRB or by specific agreement between the
parties.
(B)
Union Leave of Absence:
(1)
Regular employees selected by the Union to do work for the Union which takes
them from their employment with the Company, shall upon written request of the
Union be authorized to absent themselves from their work with the Company for
the period of their services for the Union; provided, however, that the number
of employees on leave under the provisions of this Section shall not at any one
time exceed five employees who are members of the ICWUC or eight employees who
are members of the UWUA.
During
such Leave of Absence to do work for the Union, such employee shall have
the same bid priority upon return to the Company as those provided in
Section 5.10.(B).1 (Disability Bid) hereof, except that such employee
shall have the right to return at any time to the same classification and kind
of work in which such employee was last engaged prior to entering the service of
the Union under the provisions of this Section; and, further, that such employee
shall accumulate seniority during the full term of such service for the
Union.
(2)
In addition, upon written request from the Union, the Company will authorize
regular employees to be absent from their jobs without (per Bret on 3/31/05,
this section will be edited to include information about the new Union pay
code) pay for the purpose of attending Union meetings, Union-sponsored
schools and Union conventions, providing the following conditions are
met:
(a)
Employees selected by the Union as
delegates to state, regional, or national conferences or conventions shall, upon
written request of the President of any Local Union, be granted permission to be
absent from the Company for short periods of time whenever such absence does not
interfere with the conduct of Company business. Such employees may apply unused vacation
allowance to cover the time required for official duties and travel time
by air in connection with such activities.
Additional vacation may be scheduled only if the employee’s regular
seniority preference entitles him or her to it.
(b)
Where operating necessity permits, officers of the Union who may be on shift
will be allowed time off the job in order to attend meetings of the Local
Union.
(c)
Where operating necessity permits and where the written request has been
received by Labor Relations at least 24 hours prior to the time of the beginning
of the requested absence, members of the Union will be allowed specific periods
of time up to ten working days in order to do Union administrative work. The written request must be received by
Labor Relations during the normal course of business hours, excluding weekends
and Company-observed holidays.
(d)
The Union agrees to make a reasonable effort to minimize the number of customer
service personnel on leave under (2) of this section during the seasonal light
period, and will attempt to rotate leave requests so as not to unduly burden a
given operation or location.
(C)
Union Security:
(1)
Each employee who is working in a bargaining unit classification on or before
the effective date of this Agreement shall be required as a condition of
employment to meet their financial obligation by making monthly union membership
dues to either the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, or to the
International Chemical Workers Union Council, UFCW, AFL-CIO. Such employees who fail to meet their
dues obligations to the Union will be subject to
termination.
Newly
hired prospective regular employees shall be required as a condition of
employment to pay the amount of monthly dues effective with the month following
completion of 30 days of service; except that an employee with less than
30 days of service who submits two authorizations for payroll deduction
of dues, one to each union, will be notified as promptly as practicable that he
or she must choose one union or the other for payroll deduction purposes. Deduction of dues in such case shall
commence following notification to the Human Resources Department, of the
employee’s final choice, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) of
this Section.
In
addition, any employee who comes from outside the bargaining unit into a job
classification represented by the Union shall similarly be required to pay Union
dues effective with the month following completion of 30 days service
within the bargaining unit. An
employee’s obligation to pay Union dues in accordance with these requirements
can be met by keeping in effect a valid authorization for payroll deduction of
such dues, as provided under paragraph (2) following. Except when he or she transfers from one
unit to another, as defined in Section 2.2 (Recognition), an employee’s
obligation to pay dues may not be transferred from one of the unions that is
party to this Agreement to the other.
(2)
An employee may join or may authorize that monthly dues deductions be paid to,
either the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, or the International
Chemical Workers Union Council, UFCW, AFL-CIO. Upon individual authorization in writing
on a form acceptable to the Company, the Company will, on the first and second
payday of each month, deduct from any employee’s wages for the related pay
periods the amounts required to equal the total monthly Union membership dues
for the current calendar month. The
Union agrees that the monthly dues shall be constructed in dollar amounts evenly
divisible by two. Such
authorization shall be effective as of the first of the month following that in
which the authorization is received by the Company. For regular employees such deduction
will be made only if the employee has earnings of 20 or more regular
straight-time hours in such related pay period (including the final pay period
of employees who terminate or transfer between companies). An employee with a Union dues deduction
authorization in effect who transfers from one unit to another, as defined in
Section 2.2 (Recognition), shall be required to submit a new authorization
within 30 calendar days following the effective date of the employee’s
transfer.
(3)
The Company will remit to the Financial Secretary or Treasurer for the Local
Union, not later than twelve calendar days following the end of said related pay periods, the full
amount of such deduction for dues made during the pay period. Except in the bargaining units within
the Transmission Regions and the Professional and Technical units, the Union may
notify the Company to transfer remittance of dues from one local Union to
another of the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, or from one Local
Union to another of the International Chemical Workers Union Council, UFCW,
AFL-CIO, such transfer to be effected as of the first of the months following
receipt of notification.
(4)
It is agreed that the Union shall indemnify and save the Company harmless from
any claims, suits, or any other form of liability as the result of making
payroll deductions for membership dues in accordance with the terms of any
previously agreed upon or current payroll deduction form. In addition, it is agreed that it is the
Union and not the Company that is responsible for the collection of unpaid dues
when a dues deduction is not made for any reason. It is further agreed that the Company is
not liable to the Union for any failure to deduct dues but that the Union’s sole
remedy is to collect unpaid dues directly from the
employee.
(5)
The Union agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or members will
intimidate or coerce employees into membership in the Union. The Company agrees that neither it nor
any of its officers or supervisory employees will intimidate or coerce employees
to refrain from joining the Union.
(D)
Union Activity: The
Company will not discriminate against any employee for engaging in Union
activity. Union activity shall not
take place on the job in such a way that it interferes with the work. However, the Company will permit access
to Company property by Union representatives to expedite the handling of
grievances, to contact members of the Union, or to visit Union Bulletin Boards,
under the following circumstances:
When
more than one employee is to be contacted, such visitations shall normally be
limited to the lunch period or immediately prior to the beginning of or after
the end of a shift. When only one
employee is to be contacted, or when a grievance investigation is involved, or
when a Union bulletin board is to be visited, such visitations may be made at
any convenient time during working hours.
The Union representative shall request permission in advance by no
later than 2 p.m. on the business day preceding the day of the visit from
the Director, Labor Relations, other Headquarters Directors or Region
Directors and shall limit his or her visitation to a reasonable length of
time.
Where
practicable the supervisor will provide an appropriate place for the Union
representative to confer with the employee or employees. It is understood and agreed that such
discussions will be limited to particular problems arising under this Agreement
and will exclude discussions of general Union administrative procedures. It is further agreed that such
visitations will not be used for purposes of organizing employees, official
union meetings, recruiting new members, or collecting
dues.
(E)
No-Strike Clause: There
shall be no picketing, strikes, concerted failure to report for work, slowdowns
or stoppages of work, nor any lock-outs, during the term of this
Agreement.
The
Company agrees that neither the Union, its officers or official representatives,
shall be liable for damages for unauthorized picketing, strikes, concerted
failure to report for work, slowdowns or stoppages of work,
if:
(1)
The Union gives written notice to the Company and the employees involved, within
24 hours after being informed by the Company of such action, that it has not
authorized the stoppage, strike, slowdown or suspension of work, and such
written notice directs the employees involved to return promptly to their jobs
and cease any further violation of this Agreement, and if:
(2)
The Union at the same time authorizes the Company to give such further
publication of such notice as in the sole judgment of the Company appears
desirable.
It
is recognized that the Company has the right to take disciplinary action,
including discharge, against any employee who is responsible for or participates
in a breach of a provision in the first paragraph of this Section, whether or
not the Union gives the notice provided in this paragraph. It is agreed that such action on the
part of the Company shall be final and binding upon the Union and shall in no
case be construed as a violation by the Company of any provision of this
Agreement. However, an issue of
fact as to whether or not any particular employee has engaged in, participated
in, or encouraged any such violation, may be subject to the grievance procedure
and or arbitration.
(F)
Picket Lines: Recognizing
the obligation of the Company and of its employees to render service to the
public under the provisions of the California Public Utilities Act and the
franchises granted to the Company thereunder, the
Union and the Company agree that the presence of a picket or of a picket line on
or adjacent to the premises of any customer or potential customer of the Company
shall not, of itself, remove the obligation to render such service as has been
regularly applied for or otherwise properly requested by such customer, or such
service as is necessary in the interest of public health and safety or in the
normal routine of Company operations.
It
is further agreed, however, that employees are not required to cross a picket
line if in the employee’s best judgment it appears to the employee that such
entry may result in physical violence or injury to him or her. In such event the employee shall
specifically explain to the person in charge of such picket line the obligation
of the Company and of its employees to render service and inquire as to whether
or not such entry will be physically resisted. Where such inquiry has been made and the
employee is advised by the person in charge of the picket line that his or her
entry will be so resisted, or in case violence actually in progress precludes
such inquiry, the employee shall forthwith notify his or her supervisor. In no case will the employee be required
to enter the customer’s premises under the circumstances hereinabove described
until any such threat of resistance to such entry shall have been removed. Failure to gain entry to the customer’s
premises under the circumstances hereinabove described shall not, in and of
itself, be deemed a violation of the terms of the Agreement, nor shall it result
in the loss of seniority or pay to the employee involved.
(G)
Seniority List: The
Company agrees to furnish the Union
the seniority lists of all regular and probationary employees in work locations
covered by the terms of this Agreement.
The seniority list shall be by Region and by classification, and shall be
corrected and brought up to date every three months.
(H)
Union Officers: Seven
(7) officers
from all locals of the UWUA and
Five (5) officers from all locals of the ICWUC, for a total of not more than
Twelve (12) representatives may elect to be excluded from off-hour shifts or
details during the period that he or she holds office, provided that the
employee is in a working group that rotates through such assignments and that is
large enough for his or her exclusion to meet operating convenience. It is understood that dispatch office
working groups are not ordinarily considered large enough to qualify
hereunder.
In
the event of layoffs for lack of work as provided in Article VII (Shortage of
Work) the members of the Steering Committee of the Joint Labor Committee (not to
exceed eight employees), the President of Local 483 of the UWUA, and the
President of Local 522 of the UWUA, if assigned during their respective terms of
office to progressions in which layoffs occur, shall in face of such layoffs, be
placed at the top of the seniority list of the respective job progressions
in which such layoffs occur. Upon
termination of their respective terms of office, such officers shall
automatically revert to their appropriate positions on the seniority lists of
the job progressions to which they are respectively assigned. The Union agrees to notify the Company
of the names of such officers and of their term of office at the time of their
election. The special seniority
accorded hereunder will not apply unless such notification is received by the
Company in writing at the time of the signing of this Agreement or within 30
calendar days after the election of such officers.
(I)
Bulletin Boards: In
plants or units covered by this Agreement the Company will erect and maintain
bulletin boards in suitable places mutually agreed upon, to be used solely by
the Union for the posting of notices of the following type only, except that
additional notices may be posted upon approval by local management or by the
Director, Labor Relations:
(1)
Notices of Union recreational and social affairs.
(2)
Notices of Union elections, appointments, and result of Union
elections.
(3)
Notices of Union meetings.
(4)
Minutes of Shop Committee meetings.
Notices
that have been approved by local management will be identified by an asterisk or
star placed in the upper left-hand corner.
Notices that have been approved for posting by the Director, Labor
Relations will be identified by two such asterisks or stars in the upper
left-hand corner.
It
is mutually agreed that the bulletin boards shall not be used for posting or
distributing pamphlets or political matter of any kind, nor for the posting or
distributing of matter derogatory to supervisors, management or the Company, or
for advertising.
As
a service to the Union, the Company will arrange to have any of the following
items posted, when issued, on the General Bulletin Boards in each District and
Region headquarters office, and in each major plant and operating
base:
This
Agreement
The
Job Profile Index
The
appropriate area seniority list provided in paragraph (G)
herein
Notices
of Prequalifying Test Sessions
(J)
Notification of New Employees: Newly
hired employees who are subject to this Agreement shall be so notified by the
Company at the time of their employment in the manner agreed upon at the time of
the execution of this Agreement.
2.3
– Nondiscrimination
The
Company and the Union agree that neither will discriminate because of age, sex,
handicap, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, race, religious
creed, color, national origin, ancestry, or otherwise in accordance with federal
and/or state law.
2.4
– Conclusion of Bargaining & Term of Agreement
(A)
Term:
This
Agreement shall be effective from January
1, 2005,
to and including
September 30, 2008.
(B)
Good Faith: The
Company and the Union expressly stipulate that the provisions of this Agreement,
irrespective of the give and take entering into negotiations thereof, and
without prejudice to future negotiations, are essentially fair and equitable,
and each party further stipulates that this Agreement is entered into without
mental reservations, unexpressed lack of agreement or other failure to agree
with the provisions hereof, it being the express intent of both parties to
conclude this Agreement and to observe the covenants herein set forth in
complete good faith.
(C)
Zipper Clause: It
is agreed that during negotiations which resulted in this Agreement each party
had the unlimited right and opportunity to make demands and proposals with
respect to any subject or matter not removed by law or by agreement through a
valid and existing contract from the area of collective bargaining and that the
understanding and agreements arrived at by the parties after the exercise of
that right are set forth in this Agreement. Therefore, the Company and the Union for
the life of this Agreement each voluntarily and without qualification waives the
right and each agrees that the other shall not be obligated to bargain
collectively with respect to any subject or matter referred to or covered in
this Agreement, or with respect to any subject or matter not specifically
referred to or covered in this Agreement even though such subject or matter may
not have been within the knowledge or contemplation of either or both of the
parties at the time they negotiated or signed this
Agreement.
(D)
Governmental Approval: It
is agreed that the provisions of this Agreement relating to expenditures which
may be subject to Governmental approval will be submitted to the appropriate
Governmental agencies and are subject to such approval.
(E)
Printing of Agreement: The
Company agrees to
use the services of a Union recognized printer
to print copies of this Agreement and to distribute to all bargaining unit
employees a copy of the printed Agreement.
In addition, the Company agrees to provide each local with Agreements
equal in number to 10% of their respective memberships.
2.5
– Labor-Management Activities
(A)
Notices: Notices
required to be served under the terms of this Agreement shall be sufficiently
served for all purposes herein when mailed, postage prepaid, certified mail,
return receipt requested, to Southern California Gas Company, attention — Labor
Relations, Manager of Labor Relations, 555 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles
90003-1022, for service upon the Company and when similarly mailed to Utility
Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, 7200
Greenleaf Avenue, Suite 380, Whittier, CA 90601 (Area Code
562-696-0142,
Company Mail Location #702J), and/or to International Chemical Workers Union
Council, UFCW, AFL-CIO, 8530 Stanton Avenue, Suite 2-C, Buena Park, 90620 (Area
Code 714-816-1922), Company Mail Location #702F), for service upon the Union,
and the date of delivery of such notice shall be the controlling date for all
purposes hereunder.
(B)
Interim Meetings: In
order to effectuate this Agreement, the Union and the Company mutually agree to
have their respective committees meet to discuss the administration of the
Agreement and any problems that arise thereunder. The committee shall consist of the
representatives who negotiated this agreement or their successors. A review of industrial accidents and
suggestions on safety matters that are considered to be more than local in scope
may be part of the agenda. Such
meetings shall be scheduled any time during the term of this Agreement,
within
24
to 48 hours
following the receipt by the Company of the Union’s
agenda.
(C)
Safety – Company/Union Policy:
The
Union and the Company agree to cooperate in maintaining safe working
conditions. No employee shall be
required to work under conditions or operate equipment which does not meet the
requirements of the lawful orders of the State of California pertaining to
employee safety, and refusal to work under such conditions or operate such
equipment shall not in and of itself be deemed in violation of paragraph (B) of
Section 6.3 (Causes for Disciplinary Action), nor of Section 2.2(E) (No-Strike
Clause).
(D)
Safety Committees: It
is agreed that upon execution of the present Agreement, Safety Committees may be
established.
(1) Region and Headquarters
Department Safety
Committees
Safety
Committees established within the Joint Certification shall be composed of three
representatives designated by the Union, two from the majority Union and one
from the minority Union. (These
numbers shall be increased to three and two for the Inland Empire Region,
Redlands Committee and for the Northern Region, Chatsworth Committee). Safety Committees established outside
the Joint Certification shall be composed of two representatives designated by
the Union.
Two
representatives will be designated by the Company plus a representative of
Safety Management’s Staff. By
mutual agreement a greater number of regular representatives, not to exceed the
number necessary to represent affected work groups, may be established. The Union representatives shall be
selected from the employees of the departments or Region represented by the
committee on which they are to serve.
The Company representatives shall be members of, or have jurisdiction
over, departments represented by the committee on which they are to serve. Whenever practicable, other Company
employees who are knowledgeable about particular topics may attend committee
meetings.
The
Safety Committees shall hold meetings quarterly or upon request of either party
or according to any regular schedule mutually agreed upon by Union
representatives and local management to permit inspection, discussion, and
review of local health and safety conditions and
practices.
(2)
District and Local Safety Committees
Employee
participation in safety management through local safety committees is strongly
encouraged. These guidelines are
intended to facilitate formation of safety committees in organizations that do
not currently have one and to promote consistency in committee make-up and
function.
Safety
Committees will be established at a district and department by mutual consent of
management and the Union(s). The
committee should be made up of at least three represented persons (larger
locations may have more). To obtain
the best cross section of employee representation, a person from each work group
should be on the committee (i.e. customer contact, field services, meter
reading, etc.). In addition, a
representative of Management and the Union will serve, and in turn, will
mutually agree on the method of selecting the rest of the committee. The length of term will be twelve (12)
months on a rotating basis or end of project (not to exceed eighteen (18)
months). To maximize education, all
employees at the location should have an opportunity to serve on the
committee. Persons selected to
service on the committee should be those who support the Company and the Union’s
efforts in safety and incident prevention.
Responsibilities
The
responsibilities of the safety committee will be varied based on the needs and
requirements of each work location.
Some general duties are listed below:
1.
By consensus, the committee will agree on a meeting
schedule.
2.
Assist in planning and conducting of the safety meetings.
3.
Promote the idea that a person’s safety is everyone’s
responsibility.
4.
Review suggestions from employees pertaining to changes in safety programs,
safety equipment and make recommendations to appropriate personnel for
consideration.
5.
Be familiar with the contents of the Company’s Injury/Illness Prevention Program
Handbook and be prepared to make recommendations for changes to local management
or region safety supervisor.
6.
Be alert to the any hazard or hazardous conditions and report as soon as
possible to appropriate personnel designated by Safety Committee. Review
industrial injury and motor vehicle accident reports and make commendations on
methods of prevention and protection to prevent a similar
recurrence.
7.
Communicate and coordinate safety/issues between work groups, all shifts, and
other safety committees.
Suggestions
and recommendations for the prevention and elimination of unhealthful and unsafe
conditions and practices shall be promptly investigated and acted upon by the
appropriate staff. Participating
representatives, insofar as practicable, shall be furnished, at least 24 hours
prior to the time of the meeting, with a written agenda of all matters to be
discussed at the meeting.
If
safety matters are not resolved to the satisfaction of Union representatives,
they may be referred to the grievance procedure under Section 6.8 (Grievance/
Arbitration Procedure) or, in the case of safety matters having system-wide
implications, to an Interim Meeting as set forth in Section 2.5 hereof. If the matter is of sufficient urgency,
the meeting may be scheduled prior to the next otherwise planned Interim
Meeting.
(E)
Shop Committees:
(1)
It is agreed that upon execution of the present Agreement, Shop Committees shall
be established in the following locations:MAJOR
SHOP COMMITTEES
Customer
Contact Centers
Customer
Service Mass Markets & Distribution
Operations
South
Inland Region
Imperial
Redlands
Northern
Region
Chatsworth
Pacific
Coast Region
Anaheim
Compton
Gas
Transmission & Storage Operations
Beaumont
Blythe
Victorville/Newberry
Springs/Needles
Aliso
Canyon/Honor Rancho
Valencia/Chatsworth
Goleta/Ventura
Taft
Brea/Olympic/Saticoy
Playa
Del Rey/Montebello
SPECIAL
SHOP COMMITTEES
Business
Solutions
Fleet
Facilities
Logistics
Fabrication & Tool Repair/Meter Shop
Gas
Control
Customer
Assistance
DAP
CARE
Customer
Operations
Branch
Offices
Mass Markets
Billing
Mass Markets Credit
& Collections
Meter Reading
Gas
Engineering
Engineering Analysis
Center
Mapping Services
Customer
Remittance Processing
Data
Distribution
Mail
Payments
At
the Union’s request, the Company will establish additional Shop Committees to
deal with matters concerning Union represented employees not included under the
jurisdiction of any Shop Committee listed above.
(2)
Shop Committees established within the Joint Certification shall be composed of
three representatives designated by the Union, two from the majority Union and
one from the minority Union. (These
numbers shall be increased to three and two for the Inland Empire Region,
Redlands Committee and for the Northern Region, Chatsworth Committee.) Shop Committees established outside the
Joint Certification shall be composed of two representatives designated by the
Union. The Company shall designate
two representatives to each Committee.
The Committee may be increased from time to time by mutual
agreement. The Union
representatives shall be selected from the employees of the departments or
Region represented by the Committee on which they are to serve. The Company representatives shall be
members of, or have jurisdiction over, departments represented by the Committee
on which they are to serve.
Whenever practicable, other supervisors who are knowledgeable about
particular topics will attend for those topics.
(3) Major Shop Committee meetings shall be held upon request of either party, or according to any regular schedule established mutually by the Union representatives and local management. Special Shop Committee meetings shall be scheduled upon request of either party. Any given meeting may be extended, or recessed and resumed, as necessary to complete any given item of business, upon the unanimous concurrence of representatives of the Union and of the Company. Participating representatives, insofar as practical, shall be furnished, at least 24 hours prior to the time of the meeting, with written agenda of all matters to be discussed at the meeting. The agenda shall be prepar