PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The head of IBEW Local 614, the union that represents more than 1,400 PECO workers, said the energy company has a “disturbing pattern” of negligence that contributed to two fires within a month.
On May 5 in Upper Chichester, two people, including a woman who was nine months pregnant, were hospitalized after a rotten piece of wood holding up a power line fell and ignited a fire. And, on June 11, two children and an elderly woman were hospitalized and more than a dozen people were displaced from their homes after a similar fire in Southwest Philadelphia.
“PECO’s mismanagement is putting both workers and customers in danger,” said Larry Anastasi, president of IBEW Local 614. “The reason why they were preventable is because they weren’t caused by a storm, they weren’t caused by an act of God. They were caused by neglect.”
The union claims PECO prioritizes maintenance in more well-off communities, leaving places like Upper Chichester and Southwest Philly in greater danger.
“There’s so many damaged, rotted, broken crossarms and poles all over the system. So something that would be minor normally in a better neighborhood is catastrophic in a bad neighborhood,” he said.
Anastasi said he and other employees in the union have consistently warned PECO about infrastructural issues and potential disasters, but those pleas often get ignored.
“It’s overwhelming frustration,” he continued. “The system isn’t being maintained the way it should be. The poorest neighborhoods are the ones that are affected the most, and the people that are doing the work are incredibly more at risk.”
In a statement, PECO said there is no indication that the condition of its equipment exacerbated the fire in Southwest Philly, attributing the cause to mylar balloons.
The company said it is investing more than $9.3 billion over the next five years for new equipment, enhancements and corrective maintenance.