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Subscribe to RSSNew York power utility Consolidated Edison Inc locked out its unionized workers early on Sunday after contract talks broke down, both sides said, raising the possibility of power cuts during a summer heat wave.
The company asked to extend negotiations for two more weeks, it said, but the union, which had threatened a strike, refused. In response, the firm told union members not to report for work on Sunday.
Reuters reported that the action increased the risk of power outages if a continuing heat wave puts extra strain on the electrical grid for New York City and suburban Westchester county.
However, a utility official told the New York Daily News that customers should not expect to see any adverse effects.
"Both sides are far apart," said company spokesman Mike Clendenon. "We asked the union to extend the talks for two weeks but they refused."
"We can't operate the system reliably for customers if the union can still call a strike at a moment's notice," he said.
He did not use the term "lockout" but said the company notified unionized workers not to report for work. ConEd managers have been specially trained to handle emergency or maintenance work, he said.
John Melia, a spokesman for the Utilities Workers Union of America (UWUA) said that as of 2 a.m. Sunday (EDT) its 8,500 ConEd power workers were locked out.
"ConEd took the extreme measure of locking out its unionized workforce putting the city of New York and Westchester county in peril during a heat wave."
The lockout came as the summer's second heat wave hit the city of over 8 million people, with stifling temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), raising demand for power to operate air conditioners.
Both sides continued talking for over an hour after the midnight Saturday deadline expired, but failed to reach a settlement over a new contract for the company's unionized workers. A major sticking point in the contract was ConEd's plan to phase out defined pensions.
The union membership had authorized its leaders to call a strike at midnight on Saturday, when the collective bargaining agreement expired. A similar strike in 1983 lasted nine weeks, while a blackout in July 1977 - caused not by labor action but by lightning strikes - resulted in looting and civil disorder in the largest U.S. city.
As the deadline approached, 200-300 union members staged a rally in downtown Manhattan, chanting "If we go out, the lights go out."
Tony Ballone, a union delegate, told Reuters the main issues were pensions, wages and health care. "They (ConEd) want to take everything we have fought for 50 years."
"We're the first responders, we come out in rain and snow, we keep the lights on. All we want is a fair contract," he said.
With Con Edison workers locked out, company managers are left to fix whatever problems arise as New Yorkers crank up their air conditioners.
The utility had only just returned power to Brooklyn and other areas of the city blacked out in a heat wave 10 days ago. Still, with the lockout coming over a weekend, when many businesses in Manhattan are typically closed, demand for power will be lower than a weekday.
That would lessen the risk the utility will have to reduce voltage, commonly called a brown out, as the utility was forced to do last week in Brooklyn and Queens.
Still, the UWUA union stressed that without its skilled workers, the Big Apple could be facing outages if a deal is not agreed. Con Ed has 13,000 employees including union members.
Temperatures in New York City were expected to reach 92 degrees on Sunday and 90 degrees on Monday before slipping into the 80s on Tuesday before the Fourth of July holiday, according to AccuWeather.com. The normal high for this time of year is 83 degrees.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Just the word union makes folks turn into rabid dancing dogs. These are Electrical Linemen(with all the followers tagging along of course). What they do you do not see. Everyday they work on high voltage lines and you don't know it cause they do it with the lines energized. They in fact don't cost the company beans because the meters keep right on turning while they are fixing something, which brings in a gazillion dollars income for the company. The lineman is the one who takes the risk for mediocre pay. They basically pay their own and most other utility workers wages. Oh...and no POS dummy can do it. There is 3 to 4 years of training, the training never stops, high climbing is common and the dangers are terrific.
And all that has zero to do with unions.
Actually, these smart people formed a union so they could negotiate with powerful people who could destroy any one of them singely but those same powerful people must negotiate with them when they band together as brothers and sisters.
Wait till Obamacare kicks in and seniors lose a half trillion in benefit cuts and the 51% who pay taxes get to buy a policy for those that don't. Look at the Tax/Penalty! $95 in 2015 wow that will force them to buy a policy and not use the ER. The total max tax/penalty is like $2100! Again cheap! So who stops whom from using ER then. Here is another thought! How can someone who paid no taxes get back a check for $8000! Will Obama ding that Earned Income/Child Credit free cash! How about Jose and Maria now that they will have a free green card with Obama's Dream Act order? 2-3 million and once again no one really knows the real numbers
ConEd should be totally privatized without subidies from the state. As long as the State, pays the final BILL for overrun budgets or excessive contracts ... it become political. Make it profitable, or outsource it to non-union Americans who would appreciate their opportunity (job) more.
Aren't the unions in NY/NJ still run by the mafia? Chuckle ... sure seems like it or maybe they're just Democrats.
Democrats Mafia are they not one and the same?
my name says it all, so get out your torches and your rope and find a tree to hang me from.
with that said, the attitude that union workers are stupid, is, well, stupid. In order to keep our licenses up, yes, we pay the city for our licenses here, we have to put in 12 hours of college level credit every year. stupid people dont do that. the making of remarks of 'i wont buy anything union' well, so what? dont. When Toyota built a big car plant a few years back in the US, who do you think they hired to install the HVAC equipment and ductwork? Union people, because union folks got it done right and done quick, smart people can do that ya know. Yeah, you will find people on both sides of the union/non union fence that are lazy, you will also find educated professionals that have a 4 and a half day work week (doctors, lawyers, bankers...etc), so would you call them lazy and stupid too? Unless you have done the job, then dont act like you know how to do it, or what sort of training and education it takes. I welcome you people out there who troll on here, trashing union folk as being stupid and lazy to come onto a job site, put on a hardhat, tool belt, PPE, and climb into a snorkel lift up to the side of a building and install electrical, piping, ductwork without dropping it, falling out of the basket, and do it right, be it outside in the cold or heat or inside with no cool or heat. Until you walk in those shoes, dont bother to put them on and act like you have a clue. BTW i dont belong to a union, but i know those who do.
I agree, I used to carry about 20 pounds of regulation books with me to work besides the other stuff I needed plus a lunch that most of the time I didn't have time to eat. Now I carry all the regulations on a laptop, so thank God for that. I get tested on the regs on a yearly basis to keep my federal license up. Plus it seems once a week I'm getting randomly tested for drugs or alcohol, not just when I got hired like most people. So the people on here saying ignorant comments on here are just that, ignorant.
ConEd: Okay well I think if we keep talking we can come to an agreement, let`s say we do this for two more weeks, and no strike in the meantime, what d`ya think?
Union: Well we`ll talk as long as you want but we reserve the right to walk away anytime and strike. Contract`s over with bub.
ConEd: Well you`re right the contract is over with but c`mon, two weeks? I think we can come to an agreement don`t you? I mean ompany`s and unions have worked without contracts before during negotiations, and it usually works out noone has to strike and there`s no disruption of services. It`s July after all...
Union: Hey whatever, we reserve the right to strike.
ConEd: Well hey thanks for considering working with us on this issue but we`re a business supplying NYC`s eletricity, we can`t rely on you guys at this time so without a contract I guess you guys can stay home, don`t bother coming in.
Union: Why you piece of s h!@#$t capatalist a s sh!#$%les, how dare you lock us out!!!
LMAO
Nice that you have such cut and dried view that just so happens to fall in line with what Con-eds version of events is. And I'm sure that whatever concessions Con-ed gets from the union will be passed on to consumers right? I am sure that the Con-ed executives will be more than willing to give back their raises to help those poor elderly people whose electric bill is too much. I have no idea what happened to you to make you so quick to believe Con-eds version as opposed to the Unions version of things, maybe your girlfriend or even your mommy got stolen away from you by a union worker, but unless you are in that room with the people negotiating you do not know the exact particulars of what caused this lockout.
Turn the power off, those Liberal enviromentialist in New York don't want tha dirty from those filthy coal and oil fired electrial plants,let them use all that hot air comming from those Democratic enviromentalists that keep pushing for green energy,Wind and solar and sound power,maybe some sand pounding for the summer let them sweat.
There is no way I am going to read all these comments, good or bad, nasty or civil. The only thing I would say is that this is a bad time to bring this non-negotiation to a head. It is not fair to punish the public that have to live with the consequences of having no power, especially in the heat that is being experienced. Hopefully all the elderly have someone to help them.
That I can agree with- what an awful time to be without electricity!
However, I'd also note that ConEd is the one kicking over the apple cart.
They want to make draconian cuts to employee compensation- in this economy, the union is asking only for the maintenance of what they already have.
ConEd is hardly going broke- in fact, they're pulling in an amazing- even an extortionate- amount of money already.
Greed has driven this crisis from the very beginning- corporate greed, not union greed, as the shills being paid to post would have you think.
Let them strike and with a little luck and viberant political stance,they will be replaced with similar trained workers all working for about $65 per hour and typical paid holidays anf vacation time.Not getting paid $75 per hour,7 weeks vacation,numerous paid holidays and fully paid ,lifetime health,dental,vision benefits for he worker and his dependants.The new wrokers will have a deductible medical and dental paln,will have to contribute their 401=K plans .These workers,except for the higher pay,will be in line with most American workers today! This would be good.The old ,whinning workers can stand in line for 2 years waiting to get their unemployment checks just like many Americans had to do and when they do get rehired,instead of $75 per hour,they will gladly take $30 per hour and this time shut up!
And you can hire your own firefighter and policeman, right?
The tax base required to support civic services is already marginal at best- and you'd like to see it reduced further?
This country rides on the shoulders of the middle class, and fools like you are trying to cripple it- and doing a mighty fine job.
When I start seeing the stands empty at Pro Football stadiums. I will start worrying about all this nonsense. Until that day, I wish you well.
The solution is Social Security and health care to include all government and utility workers. Too many decisions are made by competitive envy - nonUnion workers vote corporate interests against their own because they envy union benefits. To advocate for economic justice is criticized as envy of the rich, and yet the argument against equality is pulling down the top to the bottom; well the same can be said for those who envy union workers: why pull down the union to the nonUnion wage and benefit bottom? The wealthy elite succeed by keeping the American workers fighting each other. Freedom is another word for keeping the workers ignorant.
Exactly, instead of asking why are union workers getting good pay and benefits, maybe I should as well, let's see how we can work together to accomplish this. It's "I'm not getting it so F--k them", while they believe the line that companies can't afford it while the same companies avoid paying taxes and offshore huge amounts of cash.Stick together people it's the only way to fight the massive corporate greed in this country.
X
One of the things cited as to why union workers are so expensive is health care.....well, that problem is solved, so what is their excuse for screwing over the American worker now?
Pee party doing a good job in turning back the clock. Remember the good ole days when strikes and violence were prevalent. Where you worked all day, seven days a week for a dollar. Great times had by all. Oh, and don't get sick, you would be fired.
I think those days are coming back. Thank you neo-cons.
It's common knowledge no one lived in NYC before electricity,let alone AC was invented.
I'm sure we will have people dropping dead by the thousands because of brownouts.
So where are all the New yawkers bragging about how tough they are?
Sit out on your stoops and sweat it out ya wussies ya!
With a lockout, when one person dies from power going out, the CEO should be charged with murder and the family sue Con Ed for 100's of millions of dollars.
They are as bad as the electric company where I live, saying they needed a 7% raise in rates again because they ONLY made $75,000,000.00 in pure profit last year. Congress needs to pass the same laws as they did for health insurance. If the electric company doesn't use at least 80% of the income to provide electric, the remaining must be refunded to the people. A public Utility is NOT supposed to be run for pure profit. That is why it is a PUBLIC utility.
"We can't operate the system reliably for customers if the union can still call a strike at a moment's notice," he said.
Why don`t they sue the union? They`re the one not willing to negotiate without walking off at a moments notice?
Hey everybody, Valhalla Phil is a coprate shill. His paycheck comes from writing for his masters. He does not work for a living. He thinks that ConEd has lines overhead. He believes that the workers are so inefficent that anybody can do the work. He thinks that manegement, that is taking the lions share of the cash, can do no wrong. Like I posted earlier, 1/3 for manegement, 1/3 for workers, and 1/3 for capital. Management cannot get more than their share unless they screw somebody. Not Capital, so only the workers are left.
Absurd wages? Absurd benefits? Care to elaborate? I would like to see that in black and white..
Time to Post Help Wanted Ads!
Stay strong my Brothers. I will be wearing my USW gear for support.
They need Scott Walker!!!!!!!!!
The union leaders are scared that they will lose their cushy jobs and pay (for doing absolutley nothing except extort businesses and taxpayers). The time of defined benefit pension plans is over you cannot continue to spend and spend without income (unless you belive Obammy and Pelosi they somehow think that the taxpayers is responsible for saving everyone that votes for them
Dont give in to unions, they are killing our country.
Pensions are a old and failed concept that need to be removed. Companies can no longer afford to pay people who no longer work for them. Its a drain and at this point worthless. Save your money union workers, pensions can no longer be sustained in this economy. Unions are outdated as well, they fought for fair wages and better lives for workers in the past, these days they fight for incompetence and being under-worked and overpaid.
I'm a liberal but realise the day of the defined pension plan is over. Forcing companies to assume lifetime obligations for employees isn't reasonable, better to pay matching amounts into 401k's or 403b's and let the employees decide where to invest. A companies obligation to an employee should end when the employee quits or retires.
It's a proven fact that Wall Street benefits more from 401k's than you do. It's a proven fact that administration costs for 401K's are rigged and will eat up a considerable sum of your savings. They are just another tax on you. If pensions are obsolete then so is social security. The way I see it, is most people who dislike pensions don't have one. They are the ones we will be supporting when they are in their 70's, 80's & 90's.. Or maybe we shouldn't support them.. kick them out of the car on the side of the road. They are a drain on our economies..