Connecticut Power & Light is accused of restricting overtime during one of the worst power outages in recent memory. We've been wondering about this for a while, given the length of time it's been taking to recover from power outages. Now Mike Elk at Working In These Times answers our question.
Last month, Working In These Times examined how chronic understaffing at PEPCO led to power outages in the Washington, D.C.-area for as long as six days following a storm. Now union workers, members of the IBEW Local 457 and 420, which represent more than 1,000 workers at Connecticut Power & Light, are protesting what they feel are similar understaffing problems... On Tuesday, the union, which is in the midst of contract negotiations with Connecticut Light and Power and its parent company, Northeast Utilities, picketed the headquarters of Northeast Utilities in Hartford, Connecticut.
Last week, Connecticut’s Public Utility Regulatory Authority issued a report saying Connecticut Light and Power's response to two major storms last fall that caused power outages was "deficient and inadequate." The two storms caused 800,000 power outages each and many customers went without power for nearly a week...
Union officials say that a key reason why the outages lasted so long is understaffing. IBEW Local 457 Business Manager John Fernandes says the company put restrictions on the amount of overtime utility workers could work during the response to the two storms in order to keep costs low.
“At some of the municipal owned utilities that we represent, they do everything they need to get the lights back on and that philosophy has changed in the private sector," Fernandes says. "Connecticut Light and Power restricted the hours of work to reduce the hours to get the labor costs while our municipality utilities were working 17 to 18 hours a day.”Read the whole thing here.
