Jaison Avirah, Principal Gas Process Safety Engineer, PG&E SF Bay Area

“We voted to join ESC Local 20 in 2016. It is great to have a seat at the table. We are working on negotiating a formal job description and we, who know our jobs best, feel like we are equals with management in determining our role to make PG&E a safer utility.”

 

Donna Pontrello, Rule 20A Program Liaison, PG&E Petaluma

“We organized to have more stability and security in our positions, especially because our department was often being moved due to reorganizations. The Union has definitely helped us feel that stability, and, since joining the Union, we have the added bonus of greater work/life balance.”

 

Craig Bolger, Sr. Hydro Scheduling Consultant, PG&E Magalia

“I take a lot of pride in working for PG&E and I want to see the company continue to be successful. The company has always hired the “best of the best”. Having our dedicated professionals represented by the ESC provides a level of compensation, benefits and security which will help the company to retain and continue to attract the best in the industry.”

 

Mike Bommarito, Optometrist, Kaiser Santa Clara

“Staffing and workload can be some of the most difficult issues to resolve at work. A number of years ago, Optometrists faced a heavy patient load and there was general unhappiness among the group. We requested a meeting with management through our contractually guaranteed Professional Practice Committee (PPC) that allowed us to sit as equals at the table with the true decision makers, and we were able to reduce our patient load from twenty-one to nineteen patients per day with time held in the morning and the afternoon to accommodate late patients. Without our Union and participation in the Labor Management Partnership, our ideas would not have been given any consideration at all and we would not have been able to successfully resolve this problem. With the backup of ESC Local 20, I know my coworkers and I can take on any problem with great results.”

 

Carol Norem, Genetic Counselor Coordinator, Kaiser Oakland

Before Kaiser Genetic Counselors got their first contract with ESC Local 20 in 2011, management was using arbitrary and unfair wages rules to set salaries. When Genetic Counselors agreed to a wage scale that was based on individual’s’ years of service at Kaiser, all members saw increases of 18-25% to correct the inequities.

“Joining Local 20 in 2009 helped our group establish an excellent wage scale and continues to help us maintain a high level or benefits during these difficult times in the healthcare world.”

 

Kathy Pelton, Physical Therapist, Washington Hospital

“Some of my coworkers wanted to “wait and see” if administration would address our concerns before we brought a union in. After a year of an unresponsive administration and threats of layoffs on the horizon, there was no question we had better do something before it got any worse.

We could not be happier with our decision to join ESC Local 20. We are getting annual raises and starting to close the vast market gap created from 7 years of stagnant wages. Now, when worksite issues come up, we speak together as a group with the Union to back us up instead of just taking whatever administration throws at us. Now, when we talk, administration takes us more seriously.”