NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Following extensive negotiations and the threat of a strike, the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 reached a tentative four-year collective bargaining agreement with Con Edison on Sunday morning.
“This agreement reflects the hard work and dedication of both parties to reach an agreement that benefits all,” a union statement read. “Moreover, this agreement would not be possible without the unwavering support of the rank and file.”
While details of the deal were not released, the union highlighted wages, medical benefits and safety measures as important gains. The previous contract had expired at midnight.
UWUA Local 1-2 spokesperson John Melia told 1010 WINS that before the agreement was reached, picket captains were at various locations around Con Edison and its territory in New York City and Westchester, and members were ready to walk off the job.
“We’re the ones that keep the lights on. And it gets very dangerous,” Melia said. “Should our union leadership—if in their estimation they weren’t going anywhere, there would have been a strike. It was narrowly averted.”
Melia said that the tentative agreement was reached with the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a federal agency that helps resolve labor disputes and break logjam, bringing relief to millions in the New York City area during the ongoing heat wave.
Now, the agreement must be ratified by the union’s 8,000 members, comprised of mostly electrical technicians, engineers, designers and administrators
“The next step, basically, is dotting the i’s, crossing the t’s, signing the agreement, and then we have to present the terms of the new agreement, it’s every four years, to the membership to ratify with a yes or no vote,” Melia said.
UWUA Local 1-2 encouraged all its members to “review the proposed agreement and participate in the upcoming ratification process.”
“Your voice and vote are crucial in this process,” a union statement said. “Please make it a priority and cast your vote.”