CWAers Rally at Con Edison Against Outsourcing

CWA Local 1101 members in New York rallied outside Con Edison headquarters in response to the energy giant’s attempt to bust the union by threatening to move jobs to non-union contractors. The workers were joined by members of CWA Local 1102, other union members, and elected officials.

“USIC workers perform a vital service to survey and inspect underground electric wiring and gas mains for ConEd. These unionized workers protect our street safety and, in turn, unions protect them. New York is a union town and will not compromise for non-union utility locators,” said Comptroller Brad Lander at the rally. The CWA members urged Con Edison not to put short-term profits ahead of workers and firmly reminded the company that the expertise and experience of union workers is needed when dealing with underground systems that could potentially cause electrical outages or gas main explosions if not managed correctly, putting workers and residents at risk. “I’ll tell you right now, as a lifelong customer of Con Edison, I am disgusted with what they are trying to do,” said CWA Local 1101 President Keith Purce. “There could be a gas explosion, or an electrical outage, hospitals going out of power just because they wanted to hire cheaper labor.”