Engineers Join IFPTE, Show How Employee Free Choice Act Would Work

by James Parks, Apr 4, 2008

Here’s another great example of how the Employee Free Choice Act, if enacted, would help workers freely choose a union. Hundreds of workers have joined the Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC)/International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 20 because of contract language the union negotiated with its largest employer. That language offers workers’ protections against employer harassment similar to provisions in the Employee Free Choice Act.

In 2005, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) agreed to remain neutral and not interfere if employees wanted to form a union. Since the agreement was signed, the company’s white-collar workers have continually chosen union representation when given the opportunity.  In a simple one-step process, if a majority of workers sign cards saying they want a union, the union is recognized. 

The latest group to join Local 20 is the 162 nuclear engineers at PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant, who chose the union by a margin of more than two-to-one on April 2.  

Local 20 President Major Norton Jr. says the victory is important for white-collar workers everywhere:  

This is a major victory, not just for the engineers at the plant, but for all the professional employees at PG&E and I would even say, for engineers and white-collar workers everywhere. One of the biggest issues for this group was their concern that they be protected and feel secure in giving their honest professional opinion on technical issues. You can see how that is doubly important in the nuclear work environment. We are proving that joining aunion makes a white-collar employee more professional, not less.

Cory Pfau, a senior advising engineer, says union representation will increase job safety for the workers and improve safety for the surrounding community: 

My priority as an engineer at Diablo Canyon has always been safety first. In the past, I did not have a voice as a professional mechanical engineer and my concerns as an integral member of the staff were not valued. We did not feel that we were being treated fairly. Union representation will be a big improvement for the employees—and for the customers and the community. 

The environment in which workers consider a union at PG&E is much different now than in 2001, when employees tried to form a union under the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election rules. PG&E ran a tough anti-union campaign, circulating e-mails that threatened employees with loss of benefits and pay cuts if they joined a union. The union effort eventually failed. But since 2005, the employer has stayed neutral, honoring its commitment not to campaign against the union.

Says Al Caballero, an industrial power engineer, whose unit voted for the union in 2006: 

We never felt intimidated. If you supported the union, you were allowed to express your views. It was like a breath of fresh air. 

The Diablo Canyon win is the latest in a series of victories for Local 20, which began major efforts organizing new activities at the utility two years ago. Some 640 PG&E employees have joined the union since 2006.  

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