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Southern California Line Clearance Tree Trimmers Say Yes to IBEW!July 1, 2005 Tree trimmers at Denise Mowbray Tree Company in Southern California are climbing into the ranks of organized labor and toward better wages and benefits and an innovative new IBEW apprenticeship program.On May 23, after reviewing authorization cards signed by 70 percent of the workers at four locations, Doug Dilliard, president of Denise Mowbray, signed a letter recognizing IBEW Local 47, based in Diamond Bar, as the exclusive bargaining agent. The trimmers are paid between $10 and $12 per hour and have no benefits. They are among hundreds of workers employed by subcontractors of Asplundh, a unionized employer that was selected by Southern California Edison to clear lines in its jurisdiction. "We have been pushing Asplundh for years to encourage their subcontractors to recognize the union," says Stan Stosel, assistant business manager for Local 47, crediting Business Manager and Financial Secretary Pat Lavin and Business Representatives Amador Tapia, Ron Bengochea and Mitch Rolow for their persistence. Stosel also thanks Chris Avila, a Local 47 steward who works for the City of Riverside for putting long hours into the campaign to organize the subcontractors. The union's push was assisted by Mother Nature. A couple of years back, when Southern California trees were infested by the bark beetle, Edison brought in many nonunion out-of-state contractors to deal with the problem. Stosel said Asplundh saw the potential that a future emergency could result in an influx of contractors coming in that could permanently undercut its market share. Asplundh agreed to encourage subcontractors to recognize the union, offering more money on their contracts if the firms consented. Local 47 started its organizing efforts with Denise Mowbray. The potential for an apprenticeship program is a major factor in the campaign. Contractors, including Mowbray, could benefit by having a larger a pool of skilled employees to draw from. The National Joint Apprenticeship Training Center has a program already established that can help lead the way. IBEW locals in Washington and Oregon already have a Line Clearance Apprenticeship program in place. Wages and benefits for the workers in the Northwest exceed those in California even though the cost of living is less. This is due in large measure to the apprenticeship program. California law requires that line clearance contractors have a minimum of 18 months of experience before being considered qualified, unsupervised journeymen.. Stosel says that the requirement is not uniformly enforced. Local 47's newspaper, Union Reporter says, "As it currently stands, just about anyone with a chainsaw, ladder and pickup truck can jump into the trade." An apprenticeship program would better serve the public interest. Local 47 is consulting with Vacaville Local 1245 and San Diego Local 465 on the training plan.
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