Your PUD
News Release
Commissioners approve Collective Bargaining Agreement
Chelan County PUD
News Release
8/3/2009
PUD commissioners on Monday approved a new three-year agreement with Local No. 77 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which includes about 454 PUD employees. The agreement was accepted by the union on July 28.
The new contract includes a 3-percent pay increase effective Aug. 1 of this year with an option for either the District or the Union to reopen the contract to discuss wages in 2010. Another provision includes an increase in the employee contribution from 11 percent to 19.25 percent for the most comprehensive health insurance plan offered by the District. The employee contribution for two other plans remains unchanged.
Commissioners thanked negotiators and staff on both sides of the contract talks for their efforts.
The new contract will be in effect until July 31, 2012.
In other business:
- Debbie Litchfield, director of Finance and treasurer, and John Janney, executive manager of Finance and chief risk officer, reported that the District received successful pricing last week on $63 million in new bonds for multiple projects in the District, including work at all three hydro projects. The sales included $27 million worth of Build America Bonds which benefit from a federal subsidy. With the subsidy, the effective coupon rate for those bonds is 4.33 percent. Other bonds were tax exempt with coupon rates of 4.98 percent or less. The bond sales, which will be finalized next week, take the District’s total debt to just over $1 billion. Major long-term power purchasers are obligated for about half the total.
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Commissioners recessed their meeting and planned to reconvene at 6 p.m. at The Sunfire Grill in Crescent Bar for a Mid-C Commissioners and Managers meeting.
The next regular meeting of the PUD commission will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, in the boardroom at PUD headquarters, 327. N. Wenatchee Ave.
Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at http://www.chelanpud.org.
Jeri Freimuth
Chelan County PUD
(509) 661-4504
(509) 668-0267 cell
Jeri.freimuth@chelanpud.org