Con Ed Strike Looms Closer

More on the possibility of a strike on ConEd by the UWUA, the NY Daily News is reporting.

Con Edison says it can keep the power flowing if almost 9,000 union workers walk off the job early Wednesday - but the union says New Yorkers had better get ready.

Managers will not perform routine maintenance or upgrades, Clendenin said, but they will staff control rooms, dispatch centers and service trucks. Half of Con Ed’s managers were formerly union workers and are familiar with the system, he said - and because the company doesn’t operate power plants anymore, it’s better able to handle the distribution of electricity.

The union says Con Ed proposed minimum 0.5% annual raises in a four-year contract, as well as health care cuts, a switch from pensions to a 401(k)-style plan for new employees and a clause to recover workers’ compensation payments from worker pensions. Con Ed has declined to discuss any particular positions.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday in a state Labor Department office downtown, and the union was preparing a detailed counterproposal Monday.