Duquesne Light union workers set to strike at midnight Wednesday

The union representing hundreds of Duquesne Light Company workers is set to go on strike at midnight Wednesday unless it can reach a deal with its employer before the deadline. 

Business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 29 Josh Ewing told KDKA-TV on Wednesday afternoon that the union has yet to receive a response from the company after providing it with a final proposal Tuesday night. He said union leadership remains "committed to meeting with the company and working toward a fair and equitable agreement that addresses all key issues for as long as necessary."

Those issues include safer working conditions, better staffing and equipment, proper training, and taking employee input on new technology into consideration, for the nearly 1,000 DLC workers the union represents, who, according to DLC, serve more than 600,000 customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties.

Ewing said these problems have led to longer power outages and more overtime, straining workers. In fact, he said the union has told the company repeatedly about concerns regarding "multiple OSHA complaints and citations, workplace injuries, operational errors that have contributed to outages, and other incidents involving the public, including two incidents that may have contributed to two public fatalities."

Ewing said union workers "do not want to disrupt service, harm [their] families, or inconvenience the public. [They] want to do [their] jobs safely and reliably, serve our communities, and return home to [their] families at the end of every shift."

A spokesperson for DLC told KDKA-TV on Wednesday afternoon that the company "remains optimistic that a fair and balanced agreement ... will be reached," acknowledging the work of their employees "while also being mindful of [their] customers' very real and urgent concerns about energy costs and affordability."

Previously, DLC shared that it is "prepared to activate operational continuity plans in the event of a work stoppage." The union said the company told it that means bringing in out-of-state non-union workers.