The union representing linemen and other workers who have been restoring power across the region following the June 19 storm has issued a statement claiming that PECO was unprepared for the storm that resulted in over 300,000 accounts losing power.
Larry Anastasi, President of IBEW Local 614 which represents over 1400 PECO workers, said in the statement that the restoration of power following the storm was delayed due to “serious systemic problems within PECO’s response and communication” and an “unwillingness to invest in its workforce.” As an example, Anastasi claimed that lineworkers “often” waited hours for assignments, and multiple teams were assigned to respond to the same circuit, which can result in safety issues.
PECO issued a press release on June 19 promoting its readiness to handle summer storms. According to the press release, this included an investment of approximately $9.3 billion in its electric and natural gas systems to “complete targeted infrastructure enhancements and corrective maintenance, invest in new equipment, and perform vegetation management work.”
Below is the text of Anastasi’s statement:
Thousands of families have been sweating it out without power for four days in extreme heat, and they’re still waiting. These ongoing delays in power restoration are a result of serious systemic problems within PECO’s storm response and communication, and its unwillingness to invest in its workforce. The truth is PECO leadership wasn’t prepared for this storm.
After any major storm, crews need to be dispatched quickly, safely, and efficiently to restore service, but PECO management has failed to adequately staff or train this critical team. As a result, lineworkers are often waiting hours to receive assignments, and multiple teams are being sent to the same circuit unknowingly, which creates major safety risks, especially if one team energizes a line while others are still working. No utility should allow that kind of hazard.
IBEW Local 614 members are doing everything we can to keep the system running. But PECO’s disinvestment in its workforce and its inadequate storm response protocols mean we can only do so much. The root cause of these delays is the same lack of investment and accountability that led to equipment failures and fires that sent seven people to the hospital in Upper Chichester and Southwest Philly. We feel a responsibility to speak out not just for our members’ safety, but for the safety of the public.
A spokesperson for PECO offered the following statement in response to the union’s accusations:
This is the 5th full day of restoration following one of the 20 worst storms in our company’s history. The damage from this storm was extensive, that which would be seen from a tornado, and we assembled one of the largest contingents of workers ever for PECO. Everyone working this storm, including our Local 614 back office and line workers, should be commended for their efforts to restore service for our customers. Several weather events have impacted our region since Thursday, causing additional outages for our customers. We remain committed to working around the clock until service is restored for everyone.