PECO union workers in Delaware County vote on strike authorization as contract negotiations continue

Members of the union representing about 1,600 PECO workers voted Saturday on whether to authorize a strike, a move that would give union leaders the power to call a work stoppage if ongoing contract negotiations fail to produce an agreement.

The vote comes after members of IBEW Local 614 have worked without a contract since April 1. Union leaders say negotiations with PECO have stalled over wages, retirement benefits, healthcare and other issues.

While a strike authorization vote does not automatically mean workers will walk off the job, labor counsel Joseph Richardson said it would give the union additional leverage as talks continue.

"My understanding is that PECO has not been coming with meaningful proposals," Richardson said. "They've been dragging this process out, and so I think there's a real possibility they could wind up with a work stoppage."

Union leaders said the issues at the center of the dispute are especially important because of the dangerous nature of the work performed by linemen, gas workers, mechanics, and other members who maintain PECO's electric and natural gas systems.

"In this line of work, you make one mistake and everyone dies," President of IBEW Local 614 Larry Anastasi said.

Jim McGill, a lineman who said he has worked for the company for more than three decades, described the risks workers face.

"You're working in all kinds of weather, working the high-voltage lines, working in the streets, having energized wires in our hands," McGill said.

McGill said he has also witnessed the consequences of those dangers firsthand.

"Two of my friends got electrocuted and died working at the company over the past 30 years," he said.

Union members argue that those risks justify stronger retirement and healthcare benefits.

"No one does this for fun. You do this so that one day you can retire. That's the whole point," Anastasi said.

One of the union's primary concerns is what it describes as a disparity in benefits between union workers and some management employees.

"We discovered the foremen, who are not union, are getting a pension and a 401(k) and better medical benefits," Anastasi said.

Anastasi also argued that benefit disparities are making it more difficult to recruit and retain workers, which he said could ultimately affect customers.

"We used to be able to handle storms by ourselves. Now they're bringing people from out of state because they have to," Anastasi said. "And you know who pays for that? The ratepayer pays for that."

A strike by PECO workers would be unprecedented. According to union leaders, it would be the first strike involving PECO workers in the utility's history.

PECO said in a statement a strike authorization vote is a procedural step and does not mean a strike will occur. The company said it remains committed to negotiating in good faith and has additional bargaining sessions scheduled, including one on June 3.

PECO also said it has contingency staffing plans in place and does not expect electric or natural gas service to be affected if a work stoppage occurs. 

The company sent a video statement from their Chief Operating Officer, Nicole LeVine, who said, in part:

"Our main goal is to reach an agreement that's fair for our employees and also supports the long-term needs of our customers and also the communities that we serve."

Union leaders said results of the strike authorization vote were expected Saturday evening.