* Contract talks stall as deadline passes
* ConEd tells union workers not to report Sunday
* Heat wave expected to boost demand for power
By Steve James
NEW YORK, July 1 (Reuters) – New York power utility Consolidated Edison Inc locked out its unionized workers early on Sunday after contract talks broke down, both sides said, raising the possibility of power cuts during a summer heat wave.
The company asked to extend negotiations for two more weeks, it said, but the union, which had threatened a strike, refused. In response, the firm told union members not to report for work on Sunday.
The action increased the risk of power outages if a continiung heat wave puts extra strain on the electrical grid for New York City and suburban Westchester county.
Read the full story here.
ConEd Negotiations End in the Dismissal of 8,500 Workers
By John Surico
Well, this completely backfired.
Over the past ten days, the Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers of America and ConEd officials have been arguing over the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement that ended at midnight Saturday.
As the deadline slowly passed last night, the electrical titan that powers New York City and Westchester County decided to lock out 8,500 workers and replace them with 5,000 managers – a team of supervisors that the company hopes will be able to keep power running without the interference of losing 8,500 laborers with the snap of a finger. Imagine losing your job at 2 in the morning?
However, ConEd is not calling it a “lockout” because it simply told workers to not show up to work.
Read the full story here.