Sandy Work Relief Workers Turned Away...

[TexasGranny]

Daily Caller

There’s more: Georgia power crew turned away from Sandy-stricken New York for refusing to join union

4:52 PM 11/02/2012

A business coordinator at a power company in western Georgia told The Daily Caller Friday afternoon that workers from his electric-utility employer were not permitted to help restore power to New York consumers because they would not join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

The revelation comes on the heels of similar stories TheDC has reported about power crews from Alabama and Florida who volunteered to fix downed power lines after Hurricane Sandy left millions in the Northeastern United States in the dark this week.

“We’re not a large utility, so we were only able to send up two or three crews,” Glenn Cunningham, a business continuity coordinator with Diverse Power in LaGrange, Georgia, said in a phone interview.

“They worked in Maryland, and they went up to New York, and when they got up there it was, ‘out come the union papers.’”

“And our guys were like, ‘Hey, we’re not joining nothing. We came up to help, but if you don’t want it, that’s fine.’ So they turned around and drove all the way back here to Georgia.”

On Thursday evening WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Ala. reported that the devastated coastal town of Seaside Heights, N.J. turned away a crew from Decatur Utilities in Decatur, Ala., saying they couldn’t do any work there because they’re not union employees.

Decatur Utilities general manager Ray Hardin said Friday during a Fox Business Network broadcast that ”we were presented with documents from IBEW that required our folks to affiliate with the union. And [that's] something that we could not agree to. And it was our understanding, and still is, that that was a requirement of working in that area.”

On Friday TheDC spoke with a veteran electric utility worker from central Florida whose crew was kept idling for two days while his managers dealt with the union’s membership demands.

“It turns out there was a 300-page contract that the union controlling LIPA [the Long Island Power Authority] wanted everybody to sign first,” the utility worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said. “We don’t have time for that. We’ve got guys ready to go. You need lawyers for this.”

“We’re not complaining about money,” the Floridian added. “You can pay us less. We don’t care. Just let us go up there.”

Cunningham added in an email that, “[t]o have to return without assisting, to see the mess that is up there, to hear the reports of how miserable it is for many residents, just sickens me.”

“When major storms happen down here in the South, everybody just bails in and starts helping,” Cunningham told TheDC. “There’s 42 electrical cooperatives here in Georgia, and we work alongside Georgia Power, which is all unionized. Most of the co-ops are not. When something happens here, everybody works together. There’s no sending people away.”

“We came up to help because we wanted to assist in getting the power back on in an area that could use our skills and expertise, not join the union,” he added via email.

Cunningham told TheDC that he is a former IBEW member himself, and that he hailed originally from Massachusetts, where that union is particularly strong.

But Diverse Power, he added, is “a non-union shop because our employees have chosen to be so.”

“We treat them well, have excellent wages and benefits which result in a nearly zero turnover in employees.”

Georgia Electric Membership Corporation president Paul Wood did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Diverse Power is one of that organization’s member utilities.

IBEW International President Ed Hill said in a statement Friday that “in times of crisis all help is welcome and we pull together with everyone to meet the needs of the public. We have communicated this to the office of New Jersey Governor Christie as well.”

Pressed for a reaction to the revelation that union-membership demands appear to have been made in writing in at least one case, IBEW spokesman Jim Spellane told TheDC in an email, “The only thing I can add is that the IBEW did not send the documents, nor did any of our locals.”

The IBEW’s website lists 20 locals in New Jersey, 48 in New York, 10 in Connecticut and 52 in Pennsylvania. It has 273 locals in the three union-definied “districts” that include states where Sandy’s impact was felt, also according to its website.

The IBEW didn’t immediately respond to a question about how it could be sure that none of those locals had insisted on union membership as a condition of helping restore power after the superstorm.

[dontlop]

]]Update: The utility company put out a press release explaining what happened. They say they were not “turned away” but were told they would have had to sign an agreement allowing their employees to join the union in order to do work in the area. They were also told that there was no need for more utility workers. (Tell that to the people without power.) There were similar requirements in other areas, and the company said it could not agree to those requirements so the employees were sent home. So in effect, the unions did keep these workers from helping to restore power to the people who need it.

Update: According to The Blaze, Governor Christie was unaware of the unions turning away non-union help.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addressed the Alabama utility controversy during his afternoon press conference on Friday.

In short, he says the Alabama workers were on their way to New Jersey and called someone (it’s unknown who) while in Virginia. That’s when they were told they couldn’t help if they were non-union. Christie says they were given “bad information,” and such a requirement does not exist. He also said he’s talked with all the power companies involved and assured the public that if such a requirement was in place, he would exercise his power as governor to override it.

http://lonelyconservative.com/2012/11/non-union-utility-workers-turned-away-in-new-jersey/ <<< christy video response

Edited November 5, 2012 by dontlop

[Maggie123]

***///

Thanks for the update, MAGS...

We don't trust unions as far as we can throw 'em.

We're friends with some of our local electric folks here who sent crews & will

definitely talk to them personally!

Something stinks, (when does it not when unions are involved?) and

we'll get to the bottom of it.

We doubt this is the stuff of Urban Legend, though.

So do you not trust the Electrical Contractors that are saying they don't know how they got dragged into this but had NO problems?

That all this is "Untrue"... "Rumors". See Above

Here's one more...

Nonunionized utility workers turned away in Jersey

The story is being trumpeted by the conservative media and has caused an uproar online. But it's inaccurate.

A report from an Alabama television station claiming that nonunionized utility workers were being turned away from New Jersey by unionized workers has blown up on the Internet, particularly on conservative sites, as evidence of the arrogance of organized labor...

But workers for Joe Wheeler, based in Trinity, Ala., are unionized and are going home after being deployed to Denton, Md., according company spokeswoman Mandi Philips.

"I don't know how we got thrown into the mix," she said, adding that the crews are coming home because their work is done.

WAFF news director Adam Henning told me before the utility's statement was issued the station stands by its story. Ray Hardin, the general manager of Decatur, told FOX Business on Friday that officials from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers presented workers with documents that "required our folks to affiliate with the union," which the company wouldn't agree to. It's unclear exactly what that means.

In a press release, Decatur said it waited for "clarification" of documents from the IBEW "that implied a requirement of our employees to agree to union affiliation" while working in New York and New Jersey.

"As we waited for clarification, we became aware that Seaside Heights received the assistance they needed from other sources," the statement says. "To be clear, at no time were our crews 'turned away' from the utility in Seaside Heights."

http://money.msn.com...4e-daf819b06d38

BTW... Just Maybe the folks in New York didn't have the communications or the time and manpower... to worry about clearing up this one companies assumptions and "Confusion".

They chose to go home nobody turned them away. Read the PDF from them at the top of the first article I posted, their own words...

Edited November 5, 2012 by Maggie123

[simple]

So do you not trust the Electrical Contractors that are saying they don't know how they got dragged into this but had NO problems?

That all this is "Untrue"... "Rumors". See Above

Thanks as usual Maggie!

Why do rumors get started; started by the jealous people with an animosity. On DV it's called sheeple. (had to sling it back )

I also found other articles from CNBC refuting the rumors. You may have already listed it. Non-Union Help Not Rejected After Storm: Utility Co. Published: Monday, 5 Nov 2012 | 5:10 PM ET

[Maggie123]

No I didn't see that one... Thanks Simple... I thought mine were pretty clear... but the more the merrier...

Non-Union Help Not Rejected After Storm: Utility Co.

Published: Monday, 5 Nov 2012 | 5:10 PM ET Text Size By: Jason Gewirtz

A New Jersey utility company is shooting down a wave of rumors that union crews working for PSE&G are refusing to work with non-union contractors and workers from other states in the wake of Super Storm Sandy.

Source: PSEGpics | FlickrOver the last few days, a flood of accusations have mounted that the slower-than-hoped-for restoration of power after the storm was in part due to union crews refusing to cooperate with non-union workers.

A statement sent to CNBC by PSE&G <A style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #004276; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none" class=black_no_change href="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/peg">[PEG 30.72 -0.36 (-1.16%) ] Monday afternoon said, “We have not turned any mutual crews away. We're taking any qualified help we can possibly get. Everyday we're getting more and more help from out of state.”

Chip Gerrity is the president and business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW Local 94. He vowed no non-union crews are being turned away.

“In a normal situation, the union workers would prefer to work with other union workers. But in this case and other emergencies, we’ll take anyone we can get. We’ve never had outages like this and we’ll take what we can get,” Gerrity said. (Read More: Cleanup, Gas Rationing Continue in NJ After Storm.)

He added, “Union workers often have a level of safety training other union teams are comfortable with. But right now, we’re happy to have all the help we can have.”

PSE&G said before the storm even hit, plans were already well underway to move crews into New Jersey from other states.

"They are often put up in hotels that have no power," Gerrity said. "They restore the power in those areas and then move on from there.”

According to PSE&G’s website, “Restoration plans are designed to get power back on to the most people in the shortest time. … Hospitals, police departments, fire stations and other public health and safety facilities are priority number one.” (Read More: When Will Power Return in New Jersey?)

Since the storm subsided on Wednesday, workers have come to New Jersey from Texas, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia and Canada to help with the effort.

RELATED LINKS

Current DateTime: 02:14:00 05 Nov 2012

LinksList Documentid: 49699636

• Con Ed Restores Power to 80%, but Storm Looms
• Weather-Beaten States Hit by Quake, Brace for Nor’easter
• Sandy's Economic Cost: Up to $50 Billion and Counting

More than 100 additional workers are also en route from West Virginia to help clear downed trees and to rebuild New Jersey’s damaged electric grid.

PSE&G said that overall more than 3,000 outside workers are in New Jersey helping to trim trees, clear debris and restore power.

The utility company said 439,000 customers are currently without power. At the worst point, PSE&G reported 1.7 million of its customers were in the dark. According to First Lady Mary Pat Christie, the governor’s home is also still without electricity. (Read More: Scenes From Super Storm Sandy.)

The New Jersey counties closest to New York City were especially hard hit by falling trees. Tens of thousands are still without power in Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Union counties.

Customers on Long Island have also made similar accusations about non-union crews being turned away.

The Long Island Power Authority serving Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties did not return calls or emails regarding those accusations. About 285,000 of LIPA’s customers are still without power.

—By CNBC's Jason Gewirtz

[jonjon]

It’s amazing how quick the damage control teams for the liberals can generate and post this propaganda when we are coming upon an election.

If they were as interested in our nation as they are in getting reelected, we would all benefit from it.

[RodandStaff]

Yup... articles abound!!!

Non-Union Electrical Workers Being Turned Away From Hurricane Relief Efforts In New Jersey

Power has been out in parts of New York and New Jersey for a week now, and the latest news report indicate that it could be out for another ten days. Things have gotten so bad that in New York City citizens have taken to dumpster diving for food.

So, when qualified electrical workers from around the nation offer to come to these communities and help get the power back on, what’s the top priority? Actually getting the power back on or making sure that everyone is paying proper homage to organized labor?

In New Jersey, it’s apparently the latter:

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY (WAFF) – The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north Alabama help, but crews from Huntsville Utilities learned they’ll be doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey.

Crews from Huntsville, as well as Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can’t do any work there since they’re not union employees.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Maybe this is why union membership nationally is in decline.

Tags: hurricane sandy, organized labor, unions

Another link to a video interview that claims two important things... Crew drives from Alabama to Virginia Staging Area and were turned away after they couldn't agree to signing documents. Also... the reporter announces that they were a volunteer crew!

LinK: http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/02/ala-utility-florida-crewman-blame-electrical-union-for-interfering-with-hurricane-sandy-relief-video/

[Orthophonic]

Right before the election. Nice try Ron.

[Maggie123]

Yup... articles abound!!!

In New Jersey, it’s apparently the latter:

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY (WAFF) – The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north Alabama help, but crews from Huntsville Utilities learned they’ll be doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey.

Crews from Huntsville, as well as Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can’t do any work there since they’re not union employees.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Yup Articles abound and so do the rumors... ever hear of "Shop Talk"? This is not what other Co's, the Officials or the Unions are saying...

"...Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey..." SHOP TALK!!!

Late Friday at a press conference, Hardin said the documents actually came from Electric Cities of Alabama, a coalition of the state's municipally owned utilities. (these came from within the Decatur Co... trying to anticipate their worst fears)

Bottom line, it appears now that Decatur Utilities wrongly assumed they would have to agree to the union contract before traveling to New Jersey to help with recovery efforts.

Read more: http://dinarvets.com...0#ixzz2BOrxEWeI

Edited November 6, 2012 by Maggie123

[RodandStaff]

This gentleman interviewed states it (to the best of my ability) was more of a logistics issue... they couldn't wait for days to be "approved" by union workers, nor were they willing to sign union papers... so once that junction was reached they decided to send their crews elsewhere where they could be better utilized.

Link: http://www.waff.com/story/19981857/some-nonunion-ala-crews-turned-away-from-sandy-recovery

I'm going to make a point here folks... First, I never posted this information to "trash the president"... he's got enough trash on his plate imo I don't have to even attempt to do that. Second... this isn't just about "Trashing Unions"... as so many busy bodies seem to want to disprove!!! The bottom line ya'll.... there are people in need... dire, life threatening needs... cut that red tape and get the helpers in there to help. I just realized many of these crews were "volunteers", but regardless if they get paid or not is imo inconsequential... what matters most is getting these people stabilized and their life's back to some form of normalcy. It amazes me how some of the folks around here just love to jump on anybody that they view strays from their view of the news. Well... in this case I'm sorry, I'm taking off the gloves... when peoples life's are at stake I'm no longer "Mr. Nice Guy"... if ya'll have a problem with that why don't you go up and stand in front of an angry mob and explain to them why they can't have their electricity turned back on... because some local utility companies wanna play politics and suck up to each other!!! Good luck with that one... your fate is sealed if you do that... and frankly you deserve what you get!!!

Keep it simple folks... and quite trying to complicate it. I was trying to make a point, and after doing more research there is obviously still a problem no matter how some news outlets try to slant it. There was confusion on the part of the Alabama crew... they didn't want to fill out all the paper work, they were stalled for quite a while en route, and they turned back only to go to another location that would allow them to do what they do without signing union papers. The rest... just get over it my gosh... spend more time caring about these folks in need than about protection some precious agenda you have up your sleeve please.. thank you very much!!!

[Orthophonic]

This gentleman interviewed states it (to the best of my ability) was more of a logistics issue... they couldn't wait for days to be "approved" by union workers, nor were they willing to sign union papers... so once that junction was reached they decided to send their crews elsewhere where they could be better utilized.

Link: http://www.waff.com/story/19981857/some-nonunion-ala-crews-turned-away-from-sandy-recovery

I'm going to make a point here folks... First, I never posted this information to "trash the president"... he's got enough trash on his plate imo I don't have to even attempt to do that. Second... this isn't just about "Trashing Unions"... as so many busy bodies seem to want to disprove!!! The bottom line ya'll.... there are people in need... dire, life threatening needs... cut that red tape and get the helpers in there to help. I just realized many of these crews were "volunteers", but regardless if they get paid or not is imo inconsequential... what matters most is getting these people stabilized and their life's back to some form of normalcy. It amazes me how some of the folks around here just love to jump on anybody that they view strays from their view of the news. Well... in this case I'm sorry, I'm taking off the gloves... when peoples life's are at stake I'm no longer "Mr. Nice Guy"... if ya'll have a problem with that why don't you go up and stand in front of an angry mob and explain to them why they can't have their electricity turned back on... because some local utility companies wanna play politics and suck up to each other!!! Good luck with that one... your fate is sealed if you do that... and frankly you deserve what you get!!!

Keep it simple folks... and quite trying to complicate it. I was trying to make a point, and after doing more research there is obviously still a problem no matter how some news outlets try to slant it. There was confusion on the part of the Alabama crew... they didn't want to fill out all the paper work, they were stalled for quite a while en route, and they turned back only to go to another location that would allow them to do what they do without signing union papers. The rest... just get over it my gosh... spend more time caring about these folks in need than about protection some precious agenda you have up your sleeve please.. thank you very much!!!

Get off it Ron. You were bashing unions. Pure and simple.

[Maggie123]

Gloves Off Rod...

Lies and Rantings DO NOT Help At All... In An Already Bad Enough Situation.

Why Raise These People's Stess Levels Anymore Than They Already Are... With A Bunch Of POLITICAL POSTURING.

I don't have a dog in this fight (election), it just makes me so mad to see this going on at the victims expense.

Maggie

Edited November 6, 2012 by Maggie123

[RodandStaff]

Get off it Ron. You were bashing unions. Pure and simple.

Folks call me Rod first off, not Ron... second, I won't make any bones about it... I don't like unions, yes, they may have had a place 50 or 75 yrs. ago, but now they are imo a den of iniquity. I have seen too many corrupt unions to even find any justification for their existence. That being said... yes, I do think the presence of the unions is what precipitated the glitch in this whole relief effort. Those crews would never have lost valuable time just sitting in limbo if it wasn't for the mountain of red tape thrown at them en route to New Jersey. That is why they ultimately decided to go somewhere else that they didn't have to immerse themselves in that red tape, and they could do their job instead of just leaving their trucks parked and accomplishing nothing!

The said... this isn't some soapbox I've found to trash unions... but it sure reveals their true colors... it's totally despicable for anybody to watch people suffer for your own personal gain... period!!! If you have a problem with that... that's your problem, not mine!

[Maggie123]

You Sure Are On Your "High Horse" Aren't You Rod.

Give People Credit For Doing The Best They Can In A Very Difficult Situation.

This Isn't about you or your agenda...

[PowerGeneration]

WOW The ladies on the board ROCK! Thanks Texasgranny and Maggie for some

good research! That took some time.Thank You Ladies!

[RodandStaff]

Gloves Off Rod...

Lies and Rantings DO NOT Help At All... In An Already Bad Enough Situation.

Why Raise These People's Stess Levels Anymore Than They Already Are... With A Bunch Of POLITICAL POSTURING.

I don't have a dog in this fight (election), it just makes me so mad to see this going on at the victims expense.

Maggie

Wow Maggie... no dog in the fight, really!!! Yet here you are trying to take the unions side. Go back and listen to the interviews of these crew leaders... they were accosted with red tape which left them parked until they finally gave up on it and went where they could be of service without having to sign up for the girl scouts or anything. I'm not the one raising anyone's stress levels... apparently you have appointed yourself some kind of "fact check guru"... only you missed the facts. It's nothing to do with political posturing... go back and reread just my threads... I never mentioned OblameO... he's inept enough already, I don't have to add this to his plate!!! This is pure and simple Maggie... these people need help, as much as they can get, as fast as they can get it... and it pisses me off to no end when I see a bunch of greedy opportunist's stand in the way of recovery efforts. Seriously... do you have a problem with that???

You Sure Are On Your "High Horse" Aren't You Rod.

Give People Credit For Doing The Best They Can In A Very Difficult Situation.

This Isn't about you or your agenda...

My "agenda" is to help people Maggie... what's yours?

[skitealwedrop]

Some of the posts on this thread make me ill.

The people in New Jersey and New York that live along the shore line, need help now. Politics and the Union BS is ridiculous. I feel bad for everyone that is suffering. I live in Texas. I know how Ike and Katrina

effected the lives of my friends. It's a very difficult situation, when your walking in the shoes of those that have lost everything.

Let's be kind and help, if we can.

[RodandStaff]

Some of the posts on this thread make me ill.

The people in New Jersey and New York that live along the shore line, need help now. Politics and the Union BS is ridiculous. I feel bad for everyone that is suffering. I live in Texas. I know how Ike and Katrina

effected the lives of my friends. It's a very difficult situation, when your walking in the shoes of those that have lost everything.

Let's be kind and help, if we can.

Thanks Ski... you nailed it on the head.... and thanks for being compassionate and keeping your cool!!!

[simple]

My "agenda" is to help people Maggie... what's yours?

Honestly Rod, I only see your posters of democratic humor and rumors.

Some people choose negative/rumor articles and some choose positives. That's evident in this thread.

[Maggie123]

Wow Maggie... no dog in the fight, really!!! Yet here you are trying to take the unions side. these people need help, as much as they can get, as fast as they can get it... and it pisses me off to no end when I see a bunch of greedy opportunist's stand in the way of recovery efforts. Seriously... do you have a problem with that???

My "agenda" is to help people Maggie... what's yours?

Haha... If I write bigger and in bold will you hear me better?!?!

I posted the best FACTS I could find, and yes I posted a statement from the union...

It is called presenting as many sides to this as possible... I am not pro-union Rod.

As For My Agenda... It's to help people AND try to be truthful while I'm at it...

Not To Manipulate Peoples Emotions!

This conversation is over... No possible honest dialog right now with you Rod.

As Ski Said "let's be kind and help if we can". That is certainly what I was trying to do.

Maggie

[RodandStaff]

Honestly Rod, I only see your posters of democratic humor and rumors.

Some people choose negative/rumor articles and some choose positives. That's evident in this thread.

How you see depends on what set of glasses your looking through simple.... and the choice is up to you, but I'm not here to cram any agenda down anyone's throat!!! Besides... "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"!!!

Again folks... my only "agenda here"... is to get help for these folks asap, and if that means cutting through some bogus red tape... so be it!!!

[RodandStaff]

Haha... If I write bigger and in bold will you hear me better?!?!

I posted the best FACTS I could find, and yes I posted a statement from the union...

It is called presenting as many sides to this as possible... I am not pro-union Rod.

As For My Agenda... It's to help people AND try to be truthful while I'm at it...

Not To Manipulate Peoples Emotions!

This conversation is over... No possible honest dialog right now with you Rod.

As Ski Said "let's be kind and help if we can". That is certainly what I was trying to do.

Maggie

I'm not here to manipulate folks emotions Maggie... just help where I can. Do I always get it right.. no! But you did accomplish one thing... I went right back to the posted information and yes, there is a lot of "stuff" flooding in. Don't you think the Union is trying to cover their tracks??? I heard several first hand interviews with crew leaders... they came with one purpose in mind Mag's... and one purpose only... to help. NO hidden agenda's, just helping their fellow man... nothing complicated in that is there? Then why did they stop??? Confused? Come on, these guys are professionals... it was more than that. They would have helped but bureaucracy got in the way, and bogged them down to the point they turn back from their appointed destination and after much lost time they chose to go elsewhere. That's the conclusion I got Mag's, if you wanna see it another way... knock yourself out! I don't know what your going to accomplish by that... but to each his or her own. How is that dishonest? Well.. I guess your the judge and jury now, not much I can do about that. All I wanted to do all along is bring attention to a need, and I still stand by that... the group I'm involved with has already rushed help in that direction and will continue to do so as long as it takes.

P.S.- All of my post's are in at least the #3 bold font because I'm no longer the bearer of young 20-20 vision... repeat... "all of my posts"... not shouting at anybody, just making it easier for us older folks to read!

[skitealwedrop]

Thanks Ski... you nailed it on the head.... and thanks for being compassionate and keeping your cool!!!

I'm a kind soul and spirit. That's my nature. I want the best for everyone. I hope that our friends in the NE will receive the help that they need, immediately. There are many in the NE that are suffering. It's painful to watch, when I know we have the resources to help them, now.

Take care members. Be kind to each other!

Ski

[Muleslayer]

I appreciate your thoughts Rod.

Opinions are like a$$holes everybody including me has one.

[Maggie123]

I appreciate your thoughts Rod.

Opinions are like a$$holes everybody including me has one.

Hello Muleslayer Did You Appreciate my thoughts... My Opinions?

Just Maggie