Duquesne Light says backup plan in place as union authorizes strike

If contract negotiations are not successful with Duquesne Light, workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers say they are prepared to walk off the job.

As a public utility, Duquesne Light is required to have continuity plans in place that are approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The utility provides service to about 610,000 customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties.

The Pittsburgh-based utility said in a statement to the Tribune-Review it “respects the right of our employees to bargain collectively and, as in previous contract years, we’re committed to a good-faith effort in reaching a fair and balanced agreement that meets the needs of our valued employees, customers, community and shareholders.”

In a 711-14 vote on Tuesday, employees represented by IBEW Local 29 authorized a strike ahead of the expiration of their contract on Sept. 30.

Neither the company nor the union have specified what led to this point.

“While we cannot comment on contract negotiation specifics, the strike authorization vote is a procedural next step in the process and does not necessarily indicate a work stoppage,” Ashley Macik, a Duquesne Light spokesperson, said in a statement. “As an essential service provider, safety and reliability are core priorities, and we are activating operational continuity plans in the event an agreement cannot be reached by when the current contract expires on Sept. 30.”

In an emailed statement to the Tribune-Review, Josh Ewing, business manager for IBEW Local 29, wrote, “The union continues to negotiate, in good faith, to reach a fair and equitable agreement with Duquesne Light Co. IBEW 29 has no interest in negotiating this contract through the media.”

The PUC issued a report last week on Duquesne Light’s performance based on a 2019 management and operations audit.

Overall, the agency’s review of the utility’s security, emergency response and business continuity plans “were deemed complete and appropriate.”

The PUC said the utility had improved in areas including staffing for field operations, enhancing reporting of outage causes and increasing information technology maturity.

Areas that needed further improvement included balancing workloads, limiting overtime and improving recruitment, according to the PUC.

During the last contract negotiation, Duquesne Light workers threatened to walk out. But that strike was averted as the union and the company were able to reach a four-year contract agreement covering Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2023.

However, leadership at Local 29 and the company has changed over the past four years.

IBEW Local 29 represents members working for five employers and has over 1,400 members. Duquesne Light has about 850 members.