Duquesne Light Company and union fail to reach agreement, strike begins
PITTSBURGH —
Nearly 1,000 union employees at Duquesne Light Company walked off the job Wednesday night.
A strike was initiated after the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 29 and DLC failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement before midnight Thursday. The old contract expired at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.
Dozens of workers picketed outside of the DLC Woods Run facility off New Beaver Avenue.
A few weeks ago, DLC workers with IBEW Local 29 voted to authorize a strike.
The union said the workers faced inadequate staffing levels, deteriorating working conditions, and unresolved safety and operational issues.
Union leaders blamed staffing shortages for extended power outages and pointed to the aftermath of storms on April 29, 2025, as an example.
In September, more than 300 DLC field workers signed off on a letter of no confidence to DLC CEO Kevin Walker, claiming the company’s leadership team failed “to address serious safety concerns, operational inefficiencies, and technology barriers.”
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 saw more than a dozen trucks from an out-of-state company called Southern States Utility enter the DLC Woods Run facility off New Beaver Avenue on Wednesday, hours ahead of the strike.
When asked if DLC would deploy backup workers, a spokesperson for the utility said:
“As an essential service provider, safety and reliability are our core priorities, and we are prepared to activate operational continuity plans in the event of a work stoppage.”
IBEW Local 29 business manager Joshua Ewing said members will stand on the picket lines in shifts to maintain a 24/7 presence until a deal is reached.