The lockout of 142 FirstEnergy Corp. union employees in central Pennsylvania has entered its seventh week with both sides continuing to blame the other for the stalemate.
FirstEnergy managers and supervisors took over the duties of the union employees at Penelec, the FirstEnergy operating company that serves Altoona, Huntington, Lewistown and Shippensburg, Pa., since Nov. 25, when the company locked out the employees. The employees have been without a contract since Aug. 31 and the union had a deadline before the lockout to accept what was called the Akron-based utility’s “last, best and final offer.”
The union represents line and substation workers, meter readers, technicians and other employees in that area.
The lockout is believed to be the first in history for both FirstEnergy and the former Allegheny Energy, which FirstEnergy bought in 2011, officials with the company and union have said.
The company says it is not asking for major changes. It said the offer included an 8 percent raise over three years. The union says the company wants to stop payments toward retiree health benefits, which would affect 55 workers, and institute a new scheduling program that it opposes.
On Monday, union workers received their first unemployment pay since the lockout, which included back unemployment pay since the lockout began, said Bob Whalen, president of the Utility Workers of America System Local 102, part of another local called 180. It is still significantly less than union workers were making when they were on the job, he said.
There was a meeting Thursday that ended without an agreement.
Whalen said the union offered to go back to work if negotiations could continue and the company rejected its offer. Whalen criticized the company for rejecting its workers with another winter storm approaching.
“It is nothing short of reckless for FirstEnergy to continue to lock out skilled first responders in the middle of a dangerous winter storm,” said Whalen.
The company last week sent a letter to the locked-out employees, reaffirming the last offer and adding it would pay workers’ lost wages for the few days between the time the company would be notified of the union re-voting the contract and ratifying it, if it happened before Jan. 10. The company said no back wages from 2013 would be available.
“We did make them a last, best and final offer and that’s exactly what it is. We are not going to negotiate on retiree health care, that affects all 15,000 employees and our retirees. At the end of 2014, all health-care subsidies for retirees are being ended. It’s a very fair contract,” said FirstEnergy spokesman Scott Surgeoner.
Surgeoner said FirstEnergy managers and supervisory personnel have been on two-week rotations to cover for the locked-out workers. They work seven days a week for 12 hours and then rotate out. A small contractor force is also assisting and no mutual aid has been requested during storms, Surgeoner said.
Whalen said the union’s negotiating committee has not agreed to take the offer back for a vote because there are still questions about the potential back pay offer and the union is still waiting for information it has requested.
“I think we’ve got a little bit of momentum for as ugly as this is and the time of year. It’s like any vote, but my impression is I think it would go down again,” said Whalen.
Union members have been helped by community members and fellow union members with a relief fund, Whalen said.
No negotiating sessions are scheduled.
FirstEnergy shares closed at $31.84 Monday, down 17 cents.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com.