UWUA Local 132

A.M.I. UPDATE:

Union says NO (flyer) (92.5 kB)

A.M.I. Training Update 2010-06-29 (49.4 kB)

A.M.I. Contracting Grievance (151.34 kB)

Federal Lawsuit on Behalf of Part Time Bidders (280.75 kB)

Scroll down for earlier updates...

Election Guidelines:

Nomination and Transition Election Guidelines (94.14 kB)

Sample Nomination and Acceptance Forms:

Sample Acceptance Form (18.86 kB)

Sample Nomination Petition (14.53 kB)

Review Committee and National Uphold

Election Complaint Against Olague-Pimentel

All Other Complaints Dismissed.

The initial effort to conduct the Local 132 Transition Election was sidetracked in March 2010 by complaints of election misconduct arising from Helen Olague-Pimentel’s distribution of campaign literature containing unauthorized and intrusive negative commentary about Mark Moore. Mr. Moore, a candidate for office on the Together We Can slate, filed a series of complaints against Ms. Olague-Pimentel as well as all the other candidates on the Unity & Justice slate. Similar complaints were filed by other members.

A special 132 Review Committee was appointed to handle the complaints. The Committee determined that several of the complaints warranted a hearing, which was conducted on May 11, 2010. At the hearing, Ms. Olague-Pimentel accepted sole responsibility for distribution of the disputed campaign literature against Mr. Moore.

On May 21, 2010, the Review Committee issued its Decision in which it found Ms. Olague-Pimentel guilty of serious election misconduct and prohibited her from holding office until April 1, 2013. All other complaints accusing other members of misconduct were dismissed.

Ms. Olague-Pimentel and Mr. Moore each appealed to the National Executive Board. On June 24, 2010, the Executive Board affirmed the Review Committee Decision.

The Decision & Order of the UWUA National Executive Board and Local 132 Review Committee can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

Decision and Order - UWUA National Executive Board (503.97 kB)

This Decision clears the path for the Nomination And Election of Local 132 Officers which will be a democratic and unifying transition to Local 132 autonomy.

Art Frias Returns To Local 132 Rank-And-File

Brother Art Frias has decided to return to the Local 132 rank-and-file and give up his appointment as a UWUA National Staff Representative. Effective June 16, 2010 Art returned to his administrative job as a Local 132 member at Monterey Park in the Headquarters Region of SoCal Gas. Art will continue to serve as a Local 132 Union Representative on the Joint Steering Committee which represents the members in contract negotiations with the Company.

When Art Frias notified the National UWUA of his decision to return to the Local 132 rank-and file, we were fortunate to learn that Jerry Acosta, Western Region Director of the AFL-CIO, was interested in returning to his home Union -- the UWUA. Jerry officially begins as National Representative for Region V on July 1, 2010.

AMI Union Update 2010-06-25 (65.12 kB)

AMI Union Update 2010-06 (74.33 kB)

AMI Union Update Page 1 2010-05-27 (42.12 kB)

AMI Union Update Page 2 2010-05-27 (49.86 kB)

AMI Union Update 2010-05-20 (38.96 kB)

AMI Union Update 2010-03-15 (57.33 kB)

Social Security and Medicare Fact Sheet (726.15 kB)

A.M.I. and CBA Update 2010-03-01 (54.84 kB)

AMI Update 2010-01-19 (47.78 kB)

AMI Update 2010-01-06 (56.1 kB)

The amended and restated bylaws, which will bring unity and strength to our struggle for justice at the Gas Co., passed overwhelmingly by almost 3 to 1.  Your vote has given the Local the opportunity for a new beginning in a new year as we begin to move back to local autonomy and begin preparations for the next round of negotiations which will put that unity and strength to the test.

We are pleased that the Mayor of L.A. who has a long history of working with unions including the time he was actually an employee of one, has written a letter in support of the SoCal Gas’s meter readers. They face an uncertain future as the Co. attempts to replace them with more expensive automatic reading equipment which will actually raise rates to consumers. His action was at least in part because of the public campaign now in process by the Local to save these jobs.

Read letter from Mayor Villaraigossa to Michael Peevey, President of the California Public Utility Commisson

Utility Workers Union of America Local 132 represents more than 4,000 production, maintenance, distribution and clerical employees of Southern California Gas.

We won our first collective  bargaining agreement in 1937 and our members cover a geographic area the size of France, from San Luis Obispo in the north to the Mexican border in the south.

Local 132’s history making moments include:

• In 1991, we negotiated the largest pay equity agreement in private industry in the United States. Women won pay increases of between 13 and 27% and, the largest classification of mainly women workers were put at the same pay levels as the largest classification of their male co-workers in the field.
• We pioneered efforts to make boards of directors more accountable by running a candidate for the board of the SoCal Gas’ parent company.
• Local 132 was one of the first unions to get Martin Luther King Jr’s. birthday as a holiday .
• On January 25, 2009, three thousand members voted more than four to one, to strike Southern California Gas Company for a fair contract.  Click on the Photos tab for pictures of the most successful mass meeting in Local 132's history.