Peco contract negotiations continue as union members remain on strike
The two sides differed over the effect of a company offer on call center workers. The union said it would undercut the mostly women workers, while the company said its offer was competitive and fair.
Peco and its striking unionized workers continued contract negotiations on Sunday, the second day of a strike that occurred as the region was affected by power outages caused by severe storms.
A dozen striking workers were picketing at Peco’s Philadelphia office on the 2300 block of Market Street, as the company and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 614 continued talks.
The two sides have differed over wages and benefits, with the union seeking to have all of its roughly 1,500 members covered by pensions — 600 of them currently are not.
It is the first strike in the company’s history.
Peco has said its contingency plan should prevent customers from experiencing delays or interruptions in service. The company has also said that its contract offer is competitive and fair for employees and customers, adding that it has also offered improved retirement benefits.
Bargaining was expected to continue through Sunday, according to Melissa McCleery, a union spokesperson.
Peco’s latest offer, according to Larry Anastasi, president and business manager of IBEW Local 614, would give call center workers a lower wage increase than the rest of the union members. According to the union, 98% of call center workers are women.
“We will not accept a contract that undercuts the women of our union,” Anastasi said in a statement.
The company’s current offer, the union said, would bring an average annual wage increase of 3.5% for non-call center workers, between 2027 and 2031. Call center workers would receive 3% annual wage increases in the same time frame.
To Anastasi, that is unacceptable.
“Any deal that leaves the call center behind is a deal that will not be signed,” he said in a statement. “PECO’s proposal is an attempt to drive a wedge between our members and that’s not going to work.”
The company rejected the union’s characterization of its offer.
“To suggest that PECO would undercut the women of our union is ridiculous,” said a company spokesperson in a statement. “PECO values the contributions of all represented employees, including our customer care professionals, and we reject any suggestion that our goal during negotiations was to diminish the importance of any employee group.”
The company said that its customer service workers’ average hourly pay is $45.12, well above regional benchmarks of $23.80 for customer consultants and $30.91 for specialized consultants.
The striking workers in Philadelphia spent a long day in the sun on Sunday, bringing water bottles, coolers, and lawn chairs. They arrived on Market Street as early as 6 a.m., the union said.
Pulling a megaphone he said he found in his children’s room, union member Tom Jarozynski yelled: “Peco, can you hear us?”
As cars drove by beeping in support, Jarozynski continued: “What do we want?”
“A contract,” the crowd replied.
“When do we want it?”
“Now.”
On Saturday, the company said that federal mediation had been offered for the talks. Peco said it had accepted the offer for mediation, but the union did not. An IBEW spokesperson said union negotiators were busy bargaining and not available to answer questions about mediation.
The union said workers plan to picket at different Peco locations until a contract is reached.
