Caltrain, trade councils OK labor pact for electrification project

Caltrain's board late last week approved a project labor agreement for its electrification project. The pact was reached between the building trades councils of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Benito counties, as well as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 1245.

The agreement means members represented by the councils will perform the building and construction work associated with Caltrain’s Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project, which would electrify Caltrain’s corridor between San Francisco’s 4th and King Station to the Tamien Station in San Jose.

The project involves converting the fleet from diesel-hauled to electric-powered trains and increasing service up to six Caltrain trains per hour per direction during peak travel times. The project is slated for completion in 2020.

The agreement "will provide a vehicle to ensure that a skilled and efficient workforce will produce a quality project in a timely way. At the same time the agreement will help address goals for local businesses and resident workers to perform the project," said Michael Theriault, secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Building and Trades Council in a press release.