ConEd Strike UpDate

This from an update reported in the NY Daily News:

Contract talks between Consolidated Edison and the union representing nearly 9,000 of the utility’s workers continued early Wednesday morning as a deadline for a possible strike passed without resolution, a spokesman for the utility said.

“Both sides have agreed to stop the clock and work past midnight,” said Con Edison spokesman Michael Clendenin as the 11:59 p.m. Tuesday deadline passed.

Negotiations resumed Tuesday morning in Manhattan after they were suspended over the weekend when Gov. David Paterson intervened and suggested both sides take a cooling off period.

One major point of contention was the company’s proposal to switch from traditional pensions to a 401(K)-style plan for new employees, said Joe Flaherty, spokesman for the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, which represents about two-thirds of Con Edison’s 14,000 employees

The union had threatened to walk off the job early Sunday if an agreement wasn’t reached but Paterson, expressing concerning about the potential impact a strike would have on customers during hot weather, stepped in late Saturday.

The utility has repeatedly pointed out that about half of its managers rose through its ranks and would respond to any emergencies if workers struck. However, non-emergency repairs and meter reading could be delayed, the utility has said.

In 1983, a strike by the union lasted more than two months. During that strike, a 20-block area including the garment district went dark for days after a water main break started an electrical fire in a substation. The blackout forced hundreds of offices and stores to close.