The head of the union representing SDG&E workers says the company has laid off 50 non-union workers.
Nate Fairman, business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 465, first started dropping warnings of layoffs back in August. But he told his over 3,000 members in an Aug. 4 Facebook post that SDG&E’s layoffs wouldn’t affect unionized members.
“I made my position very clear that over my dead body would SDG&E layoff or negatively impact one of our represented families,” Fairman said.
On Monday, San Diego Gas and Electric, via spokesman Anthony Wagner, didn’t deny the layoffs. At this time, there are no plans for further workforce reductions, he wrote in an email.
The company blamed legislative and regulatory expectations and rising cost pressures.
In a call with a reporter, Fairman blamed “corporate greed” and the SDG&E’s parent company, Sempra, “worrying about its stock price.”
“It’s obviously cheaper to have contractors than internal employees,” Fairman said.
Earlier this year, Fairman said the company offered an early retirement incentive program that hundreds of workers took. And there were layoffs in other departments like billing, customer service and facilities.
“That says they want to downsize the workforce across the board,” Fairman said. “All we see is them cutting spending and profits continue to go up and up and (energy) rates aren’t coming down.”
On Aug. 5, Josh Kaze who says he helped unionize SDG&E’s energy generation plants, posted a Facebook message imploring the company’s IT workers to get representation.
“It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this,” Kaze said as he handed a binder reading “union contract” to a boy in the video.
“SDG&E is pursuing broad efforts to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and help reduce customer bills,” Wagner wrote. “As part of this broader transformation, SDG&E made strategic workforce reductions across select business functions and are working with managed service providers to drive operational efficiencies, adopt innovative technologies, and improve service to our customers.”
SDG&E Layoffs Spark Union Backlash
IBEW ‘s Nate Fairman is correct when he blamed “corporate greed” and the SDG&E’s parent company, Sempra, “worrying about its stock price.” Nate’s also right when he said says layoffs won’t translate into lower energy rates.
The only way to eliminate corporate greed and lower energy rates is to go to nonprofit publicly owned utility like Sacramento. Up there they pay.17 cents a kilowatt while San Diego pays .48 cents a kilowatt! Time for a public benefit utility.
The cost of doing a nonprofit will not be anything close to .17 in Sacramento. Acquisition costs won’t allow any lower rates. That’s why it failed here. The city and mayor can’t manage infrastructure, let alone a budget, so overseeing a non profit is pointless, to hand over to these inept fools running this city.
SDG&E takes in over $500 Million in profit from San Diego city customers alone. Another >$400 Million from the rest in San Diego county.
Add that to the infrastructure related cost savings from a competitive bidding process which is NOT designed to spend the “most” money and you can see how changing nothing but ownership drops utility bills immediately.
I’m also wondering who said a San Diego public municipal utility would be run by the SD City Mayor and city council since every opposing view seems to point to this without any proof.
You have to pay for the infrastructure which was to be in a form of a bond measure. The Power SD employees would have become city employees. The structure would operate under the city and council. It was all in the fine print in the ballot initiative.
You want the politicians who let our paved roads turn to dust, have our storm drains cleaned once every fifty years, and buy 101 Ash St., to be in charge of your electricity generation and maintenance? The pothole problem has been around for over 15 years – would you like your electricity to be out for 15 years? No way anyone should consider letting our politicians get their hands on our electricity.