Con Ed locks out union workers as talks break down

Consolidated Edison utility workers in New York City in an undated photo. / WCBS

Last Updated 2:30 p.m. ET

(AP) NEW YORK - Consolidated Edison closed walk-in centers, suspended meter readings and limited work on major construction projects in New York on Sunday after contract talks between the utility and its unionized workers broke down in the middle of a wave of extremely hot weather.

Negotiations stopped just before 2 a.m. Sunday, a couple of hours after the existing contract expired. The impasse came as New York braced for more high temperatures that will increase demand for air conditioning among the utility's 3.2 million customers.

On Sunday morning, police set up barricades in front of Con Ed's headquarters near Manhattan's Union Square. Only two workers stood there, but they said more were expected as they awaken and learn about the lockout.

"This is crazy! There's a heat wave," said David Palomino, a facility mechanic who rushed to headquarters after finishing his early shift to find out what was coming next.

"The fight has escalated" between the two sides, Palomino said, explaining that workers fear losing chunks of their pensions and benefits.

Temperatures were expected to reach into the 90s Sunday, with a heat advisory for the afternoon, and be in the high 80s and lower 90s in coming days.

The extreme weather also included vicious storms from Indiana to New Jersey and south to Virginia that killed at least 13 people and left 3 million without power. Most of the damage came in the mid-Atlantic region, and only scattered outages across Con Ed's service area in New York were reported as of Sunday morning. Con Ed said it is keeping a close watch on its system and has trained managers working on essential operations.

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The 8,500 unionized workers told the company they'd be willing to work without a contract to keep the power company running, said John Melia, spokesman for Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers of America.

"We did everything to avert this action," he said. "We recognize that New York City is sweltering right now. ... We recognize we have a responsibility to the people of New York City and Westchester County," the suburban county north of the city.

Con Ed said it had wanted a two-week extension of the current contract while negotiations continued, with assurance that the union would not strike without notice. The company said it offered such an extension, signing an agreement to that effect, but that the union didn't sign it. Con Ed said if the union agreed to the extension, employees would be welcomed back.

Negotiations lasted just over 10 days over a range of issues, including pensions, heath care and wages.

"This is very unfortunate. Both sides are very far part," Con Ed spokesman Michael Clendenin said.

Melia said the union negotiators were kicked out of the room in what he called a "union-busting tactic."

"This is not a labor issue," he said. "This is a corporate monopoly."

[jstaro]

And with the record heat and damaging storms we get the corporate execs from their suites response to what concerns them most related to those that actually do the work!!

[endurorob_5]

And if the union really cared about the heatwave and the affect on people they would have signed the two week extension.

[Nocults]

Did the anti American, union busting, corporate execs give up their bonuses this quarter???????

[Speaksense81]

Hey Drivelphobe001 you need to wipe the corner of your mouth for you're talking ****. Con Ed's management is just as disgruntled as its union members. Management workers don't have a pension, the company has reduced its commitment to contributing to their 401k and a whole list of others. Jacka$$es like yourself sit behind a mahogany desk and pass your remarks about the workers who jut want a fair share. If I told you what was beneath those manhole covers you would never want your worse enemy in that kinda environment. Imaginary working next to a tremendous amount of energy, I'm talking energy that you won't even need a casket if you were not to respect it

[Nocults]

Drivel posts another well sourced, erudite, and intellectually stimulating, rant from his Mommy's basement.

[hdc77494]

Lets try to remember that property owners and tenants pay your sakary and benefits, not some henchman at headquarters. The poor guy at the office has to figure out how to pay you and keep the whole system up, plus manage fuel costs and pay for upgrades. I think he earns his keep as well ir better than you. After all, if he doesn't generate a profit, he can't attract the investors who put up the $$ for upgrades. How much would they have to pay you to take care of tens of thousands of clock watching union employees, deal with the mayor, the feds, and your wife?

[Nocults]

Poor executives making $250,000.00 per year.

My heart bleeds for them.

[smittyc]

Sounds like another big mess is brewing. Oh well these things happen, what can you do.

[nuclearzoomie]

con ed stock is at an all time high. The pension fund is in the billions approx 7 billon. If they curtail the pension they can grab some of this money. Sounds like corporate greed to me. Also the ceo really could care less about the 5000 managers working around the clock. He just wants to get his hands on the pension money.

[myabc123]

Verizon CWA member in solidarity with you here, guys. Familiar story here. A company that's making money wants to take away pensions and other important benefits from the union members while the upper management feeds at the trough without limits. In my company's case 5 execs have pulled down 350 million dollars over the past 5 years but then cry poor when it's time to compensate their workers fairly. The middle class must stand together to stop this or else we're all in for a "Walmart" future."

[jvaljon1]

So Drivelphobe says that Con Ed hired some 5,000 "reserve managers" (management) and trained them adequately in ELECTRICAL WORK? Are you KIDDING ME, Drivel???

These guys, on managers' salaries, to go underground and wire in brand new connection to an ACCESSION GRID---WITHOUT killing themselves? OMG, I wouldn't be one of those 'managers' even if you, (Con Ed) DID pay me a living wage!

Electrical workers are electrical workers DUE TO THEIR TRAINING. If managers have been re-trained as electrical workers---that's one thing. But if they're handed a set of documents purporting to be "access point X, Y and Z" in the underground grid---and they go, only to find that the actual problem is a few feet away---I sure hope they carry plenty of accidental-death insurance, along with their workmen's comp, cause their families are sure going to need it!

I feel sorry for these people. But it usually takes one union member with heavy seniority, (just so they know the access points) to train four other newbies. I doubt strongly that Con Ed got its union guys to train their managers to read grids accurately. They would have had to join the union, for one thing, in order to work down there! OH LOL, Drivel, you sure have posted a bushel-load today! Go back to your buddies in management at Con Ed, and tell them that alas, you ran into former union members who worked the job underground, who KNOW that you can't take managers and turn them into electrical workers the way that you claim Con Ed has done! OH LOL! ROFLMAO! Too funny....
T

[Lindag20]

Yes that was quite amusing. Drivel seems to see the ordinary worker as some sort of animal that you just use and discard at will. In order to be proficient at maintaining an electric grid you have to work for several years in the field. These managers will take the system down in pretty short order since they REALLY don't know how to keep it running when there's heavy demand like during this heat wave.

[Lindag20]

Drivel: "any electrical engineer can more than handle any menial union function at ConEd".... OMG you have NO IDEA how funny that is. Engineers design things, they rarely have the PRACTICAL hands on experience to make them WORK. The "menials" you so despise are the ones that can jury rig and fix the issues with equipment and keep the system going. LMAO.

[jvaljon1]

Another thing, re unions vs management: one Union company down here was taken over by a crook who tried to eviscerate it. This guy fired everybody who knew anything about running this kind of company---took tons of money out of the company presumably for his own many mansions---and in general beggared the outfit. Union members were subsequently asked for "givebacks". Foolishly they agreed---and this cheap crook took the "givebacks" to line his and his cronies pockets with.

However the Union did prevail in one thing---most companies in that industry were NOT unionized and it became obvious that the NON UNION WORKERS were NOT skilled at their job. This company has now got rid of its crooked chieftain and is now on the way back. Stock price BEFORE crook took over: $39.00/share.

Stock price three years AFTER crook took over $0.03 CENTS A SHARE. Those of you reading this who are in that industry, know EXACTLY who I'm talking about, and what the company is.

I'm happy to report that, since this crooked operator was finally bought out, the company's stock has gone up---in a down market, at that!---to @$10.00/share.

That was due---AND ONLY DUE---to the professionals who are the proud UNION WORKERS at this company. Unions STRENGTHEN Companies---NOT weaken them!

A little-known (and much-lied-about) fact!

[jvaljon1]

berlinfoto-2009....thank you. James Hoffa---the most charismatic and brilliant Union leader (Teamsters) of our time-- was, of course, murdered by a thug (or thugs) hired by the extreme right wing in this country. Probably the same coterie who hired Lee Harvey Oswald to kill JFK (AND Governor Connally of Texas, back in '63)---and then had Lee Harvey Oswald killed on national TV, (by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby) in cold blood, as he walked shackled between two sheriffs after admitting his guilt. Oswald, you see, might have TALKED about who really hired him to kill the most popular President in US history.

In one way, even in death, JFK got back at his killers. He had picked a Southern Democrat---one Lyndon Baines Johnson---as his running mate and VP. His enemies were ecstatic---have JFK shot, and one of THEIRS would have the top spot! Because you see, Southern Democrats equal Republicans, policy-wise. But LBJ was a very special person---and no one in the Republican coterie realized what it meant, that he had been a teacher in all the poorest parts of Texas before heading into politics:

And therefore, when Lyndon Johnson took the reins of the US Presidency that fateful day, November 22, 1963---he had The Great Society all planned out and waiting. His Aid to Education bill succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams---and created TWO GENERATIONS of EDUCATED AMERICANS. The right wing watched flabbergasted, as their chosen VP carried out the ENTIRE KENNEDY AGENDA BEFORE THEIR EYES.

It's almost as if The Man Upstairs was taking special note of this wonderful country, and making sure that its right-wing enemies were never successful for long, in thwarting the aims of our Founding Fathers---ALL Liberals, all determined to Constitutionally deny political repression in this great country of ours.

[classicallyliberal]

*** are you talking about dummy?

[jvaljon1]

IPonUall---first, let me congratulate you on your truly clever screen ID. second: you say that Jeffrey Skilling RUNS GE??? Last I heard, Ol' Jeffrey was DOING TIME FOR THE ENRON DISASTER THAT KILLED HIS BOSS, KENNETH LAY!

I've heard of people 'beating the rap' before---but this would truly be the most arrogant AND spectacular 'rap-beating' in the history of the WORLD, when you consider that Lay, Skilling el all were all about CHEATING THEIR WORKERS OUT OF THEIR PENSIONS!!! You say that this thug already DID his prison time? Enron only happened 11 years ago! How did Skilling get out and overcome the stigma of being a convicted AND jailed felon---to head up GE? Who from what I hear, doesn't give ANYONE with any kind of criminal record, a job---not even if it's against the statute of not paying your child support! And now GE (you say) gave this animal a GOOD JOB??? Please, IPonUall....check your facts? Cause in everything else you say, I do agree with you. Check and get back here, OK? I just like to think that you made a teeny mistake; the Enron scandal heavily featuring Jeffrey Skilling among others, was 11 years ago. I thought that the penalty for fraud against the Federal Government (which I believe was the final charge placed against Skilling, Lay and the other conspirators in the Enron scandal) carries WAY more prison time than 11 short years! Skilling, heading up GE??? I think (HOPE) NOT!