PECO workers remain on strike; negotiations to resume Sunday

Key Points:

• Negotiations between PECO and IBEW Local 614, representing about 1,600 workers, ended Saturday night without a new contract agreement, with talks expected to resume Sunday amid ongoing picketing.
• The union seeks fair wages, a universal pension plan, retirement medical benefits, and a unified contract, citing little progress and no recent wage proposals from PECO despite bargaining since January.
• PECO claims to have made meaningful progress, offering a nearly 20% wage increase over five years and enhanced benefits, with an average lineman salary in 2025 projected at $243,569 including overtime.
• PECO reports that a federal mediator has been assigned but the union has not agreed to participate, while assuring customers that operations continue despite the strike and recent storm-related outages affecting about 9,000 customers.
• The union alleges three striking workers were injured in incidents involving PECO security and vehicles, but PECO denies these claims, stating investigations found the accusations to be false and emphasizing safety reviews.