Duquesne Light union workers vote to authorize strike
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Duquesne Light Company's union workers voted to authorize a strike on Tuesday night.
IBEW 29 voted 711-14 to authorize the strike ahead of its contract expiring on Saturday.
In a statement, Duquesne Light said it respects the right of its employees to bargain collectively and is "committed to a good-faith effort in reaching a fair and balanced agreement."
Duquesne Light said it can't comment on the specifics of contract negotiations but pointed out that the strike authorization vote is a procedural step in the process and doesn't necessarily mean work will stop.
The company said it has plans to continue operating if an agreement can't be reached.
"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," Duquesne Light said in a statement.
"We appreciate our employees' continued commitment to delivering safe, reliable electric service to our customers and for enabling us to remain a key community partner in the region we've served for more than 100 years."
When word of a possible strike hit small businesses in the area, concern set in. Interruption or complete loss of power without a timely fix would devastate businesses that deal with food, costing them thousands of dollars.
The baker at the Good Loven Cookie Shop in Bellevue says if the bakery experienced an interruption in service or a complete loss, they would lose hundreds in frozen and refrigerated items.
"We have hundreds of dollars worth of eggs all the time refrigerated in the back. If we lost freezer space for that or refrigerator space, that's just all gone. Truck only comes once a week," Kennyth Legler said.
The last time Duquesne Light workers threatened to walk out was in September 2019 but that strike was averted with a 4-year tentative contract agreement.
According to IBEW 29's website, the union has over 1,400 members working for five different employers: Duquesne Light, Energy Harbor, GenOn, Peoples Gas and Port Authority. The union said it represents about 850 Duquesne Light Company employees.
Duquesne Light serves about 600,000 customers in parts of Allegheny and Beaver counties, including the city of Pittsburgh.
