Duquesne Light workers strike for better pay and safety in Pennsylvania
PENN HILLS, Pa. —
Nearly 1,000 Duquesne Light workers, including linemen, were on strike for a second day on Friday, demanding fair wages and better safety protocols as negotiations with the utility company continue.
Officials with Duquesne Light said their contingency plan is in place, and nonunion crews have been filling shifts during the strike. According to the company, these crews have handled 11 outages and restored service to 1,752 customers since taking over.
Michael Goodwin, who represents 259 overhead line workers as well as apprentices and other IBEW Local 29 members, said the striking workers are the lowest-paid linemen in Pennsylvania and face significant risks on the job.
“They put their lives at risk every single day for the public to give them reliable, safe electricity. They do a very dangerous job. It’s not like any other utility almost in the country or the state. We’re hot stick linemen here. There’s usually not outages when we work on the line,” Goodwin said.
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Goodwin also highlighted safety concerns, saying the workers want a seat at the table to address these issues.
“We lose probably about one lineman every week throughout the entire United States and Canada. Very dangerous job. The safety concerns that we’re facing here is we have inaccurate maps. We have inexperienced supervisors,” he said.
Duquesne Light officials disputed the safety concerns, saying, “Through a sustained focus on workplace safety, the company has received a 75% improvement in key safety metrics, and we remain eager to discuss any specific safety proposals the union wishes to advance.”
While negotiations are ongoing, it remains unclear whether the two sides are closer to reaching a deal or how long the strike will continue.
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