Member Spotlight: Rob Peterson, Local 1045, on Building a Better Workplace at Pueblo Water

Rob Peterson is an electrician with Pueblo water, so that means his work affects Pueblo residents every day. 

“When they turn on the shower, the water comes on. When they turn on their sink, the water comes on,” Rob said. “We were just tested as top five in North America for taste of drinking water. It’s one of our most important natural resources, and it’s people like us who make sure it’s safe and reliable.” 

Each day, Rob and his crew meet in the morning before heading out to maintain or upgrade the city’s water systems. “We can be doing anything from maintenance to new projects,” he said. “Right now, I’m putting in a new uninterrupted power supply system for our treating plant. Our mission is to keep the highest quality water at the lowest possible cost.” 

Rob has been with the city for seven years, but he’s been an electrician for 21. That whole time, he’s been a union member.  

“I’ve been union since I was 18,” Rob said. “It’s fed my family, paid the bills, provided vacations, a good quality lifestyle, and worker rights. The union’s fought for standards of living.” 

So when he came to Pueblo Water, he brought his union experience with him and got to work. “When I first got here, they didn’t have an electrical safety program. I was baffled by it,” Rob said. “So we put one together, got the right arc flash gear, the right testing equipment, everything. Now people are bringing up situations, looking out for one another, being a brother’s keeper. The mindset is, ‘I want you to go home better than you came in.’” 

Now, Rob is the president of Local 1045 and has helped secure victories like cost-of-living adjustments. 

Yet while working to secure the lives of his coworker’s families, his family was stricken by tragedy. Two years ago, his former spouse and two of his children were killed in a car crash.  

In a moment, his entire life was upended. No one would have faulted him for taking a back seat at work or as a union activist and taking a break. 

But instead, he says he moved forward by giving back.  

“My kids always told me they were proud of me, and that's all I ever wanted to do is make them proud,” he said. “And today I live out their memory by making them proud and getting up every morning and giving back.” 

If you know Rob’s schedule, you know that he means what he says. On top of being a union president, he’s involved at his church, he coaches baseball and softball and does his best to be a shoulder to lean on in his community, all while being there for his wife and six kids. 

Rob sees every day as another opportunity do make an impact, whether that’s with his family, his church or his union. Now, he’s getting ready to bargain Pueblo Waters next contract and says he’s laser focused on securing binding arbitration. “We went through an arbitration, got a ruling in our favor—and it’s been three months, and they still haven’t given us a ruling because we don’t have binding arbitration,” he said. “We’re going to get it.” 

For those not yet in a union, Rob has a simple message: "You have to be at work. Why not have a group of people help fight your battles with you instead of doing it on your own?”  

After all, he says, there’s plenty you can thank unions for.  

“What has been done before us? What did our for forefathers stand for? How many have been killed fighting for our rights? If you like your weekends, your 40 hour work week, you should thank a union member.”