On May 30th, over 1,000 members of IBEW Local 614 overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike by PECO workers, with 94% of participating members voting in favor. This was an authorization to strike, not an actual move to strike immediately. A strike by PECO workers would be the first in the company’s history. The union held the event at UFCW Local 1776 Keystone State’s union hall in Plymouth Meeting.

IBEW Local 614 represents the linemen, gas technicians, mechanics, call center workers, and back office workers who maintain southeastern Pennsylvania’s electrical and natural gas utility system and serve PECO customers. 

Local 614 offerd that it called the vote after “PECO management failed to offer serious counter proposals on key bargaining issues, including wages and benefits, despite months of negotiations.” Local 614 members have been working without a contract since April 1st, and the union does not feel negotiations are progressing.

“When all this is said and done – the hundreds of millions of waste, the arrogance of a toxic cesspool of PECO leadership – what they’ll remember is that we stood together,” stated Larry Anastasi, IBEW Local 614 president and business manager. “The best relationships are not formed with money. They’re formed when you show up when people need you. We always show up when PECO needs us and they are not showing up for our workers.”

In media reports, a PECO representative stated that the power company is negotiating in good faith and seeks to reach a fair agreement.

Photo: IBEW Local 614