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Non-Union Crews Can't Help With Storm

Mike

Well-known member
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY (WAFF) -
The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north Alabama help, but crews learned they'll be doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey.

SLIDESHOW

Utility crews volunteered with Sandy recovery. See photos.

Crews from Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can't do any work there since they're not union employees.

The crews that are in Roanoke, Virginia say they are just watching and waiting even though they originally received a call asking for help from Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

The crews were told to stand down. In fact, Moore said the crew from Trinity is already headed back home.

Understandably, Moore said they're frustrated being told "thanks, but no thanks."

Huntsville Utilities said they were not turned away and are up in storm ravaged areas working.
 

Zilly

Well-known member
More unneeded drama...

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/non-union_utility_crews_welcom.html

One of those, Trinity, Ala.-based Joe Wheeler, was never in New Jersey and is unionized, its CEO, George Kitchens, said this morning.

Eight Wheeler workers were instead dispatched to Maryland before the storm hit, a company spokeswoman, Mandi Phillips, said.

“We are headed back home,” she said. “We were never turned away.”

Bill Yell, communications manager for Huntsville Utilities, said he was not aware that a union issue had prevented three of that company’s crews from working in New Jersey.

Huntsville originally sent two 3-man bucket crews and one 3-man pole-setting crew to Seaside Heights, but that all nine had since been dispatched to Long Island, Yell said.

“The reason we’re not working with the New Jersey system is that they had all the crews they could handle,” he said.

The fact that those crews are not unionized did not have any effect, he said.

“They didn’t have any problems with us,” he said.

Decatur (Ala.) Utilities, the third utility mentioned in the television story, has not responded to several calls for comment this morning.

Seaside Heights' municipal electric utility could not be reached.
 
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