Compliance Report — December 2021

By Veronica Martinez

In my 2020 end of year report, I shared how the pandemic shifted the way PLA pre-jobs and grievance meetings were conducted. Overnight, our industry pivoted from in-person meetings to exclusively on-line. The initial intent of the online platform was to maintain the compliance framework while construction work continued during the pandemic. However, what also emerged was an unanticipated improvement in transparency and frequency of pre-job meetings. 

In the spirit of sharing transparency in Compliance Departments activities, I am happy to share valuable statistics and achievements to date during the 2021 year:

581 pre jobs held in which IBEW Local 11 participated
250 new Subscription Agreements processed which resulted in new PLA employers and projects to which members were dispatched
$260,000+ wages and benefits recovered by the Compliance Department because of underpayments
36 grievances filed and settled out of arbitration
16 new PLAs IBEW 11 entered into in Los Angeles County

We give many thanks to our members who have exercised their voices and contacted their Business Agents with issues they have found on the project sites. Each one of you is critical in the Compliance Department’s duties and your contributions do not go unnoticed. Know that the Compliance Department is here to listen and help whether you have questions or see something awry with other tradespeople on a job.

We also give thanks to our Business Agents who have stepped in, no matter where they may be in L.A. County, to provide backup by logging on and covering pre-jobs. Each pre-job can take up to an hour, which means we have collectively participated in over 581 hours of pre-jobs so far this year. That’s a lot of “Zoom” for an industry that wasn’t introduced to the concept until April 2020. With deep sincerity, I thank you for being available, willing and adaptable.

Lastly, thank you to Eric Brown and Roxxann Roman who make up the Compliance Department. It takes a team to coordinate meetings, settle jurisdictional disputes and familiarize new contractors to function as union employers.

I look forward to providing you more updates in the upcoming year. All the best in the upcoming holiday season and let’s all take the time to count our blessings.