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Union workers are upset about Conectiv Energy's hiring practices at its Edge Moor Power Plant - practices some fear could jeopardize security at northern Delaware's largest electric generation site.
Labor leaders say the company's recent hiring practices represent a "race to the bottom," with plant security being sacrificed for savings.
John Czerwinski, business manager for the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 74, said workers contracted by the plant for years have been shutout in recent months because the company is unwilling to pay as much. Workers held a one-day picket at the gates of the plant a few weeks ago, but the unions are limited as to how frequently they can picket, he said.
Some being hired to replace union workers don't have the proper credentials and training to be working in a high-security facility like a power plant, he said.
"Contractors like mine who spend a lot of money on training are being beat out by other people who don't do that," he said. "Here's a company expecting everyone to work for next to nothing, yet they keep raising their utility rates."
Central to the dispute is what's called a Transportation Workers Identification Credential, or a TWIC Card. The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Agency requires the card for those who work in facilities with port or marine entrances. To get one, workers must get a background check, be fingerprinted and face other scrutiny.
Czerwinski said unions require contractors that bid on jobs at Conectiv to have a TWIC Card, and since there's an administrative cost associated with getting the credentials, it can make their bids higher than a non-credentialed contractor.
New Castle County Councilman Timothy Sheldon (D-New Castle), who is a member of Local 74, said he's heard reports of workers without a TWIC Card doing work in portions of the plant where it's required. He said those reports prompted him, along with Councilman John Cartier (D-Penny Hill), to sponsor a resolution urging federal and state officials to investigate, which the council ratified on Tuesday night.
Conectiv Spokeswoman M.Q. Riding said any claims that undocumented, non-credentialed workers were working in areas of the plant requiring TWIC certification are untrue.
She said the plant, which employs 130 full-time workers, has very strict procedures for purchasing that ensure contracts are awarded in a "fair, non-biased manner."
"It's a competitive bid process that includes both union and non-union contractors and we went with the lowest bidder," Riding said.
But Czerwinski said Conectiv, as a regulated utility, should have higher standards.
"It just seems to me that what used to be a public facility should be more concerned about safety and security at their site," he said.
"Our next plan is to try to work with state and federal officials to turn up the heat," he said.
Calls to Delaware's Department of Homeland Security were not returned.
Union workers are upset about Conectiv Energy's hiring practices at its Edge Moor Power Plant - practices some fear could jeopardize security at northern Delaware's largest electric generation site.
Labor leaders say the company's recent hiring practices represent a "race to the bottom," with plant security being sacrificed for savings.
John Czerwinski, business manager for the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 74, said workers contracted by the plant for years have been shutout in recent months because the company is unwilling to pay as much. Workers held a one-day picket at the gates of the plant a few weeks ago, but the unions are limited as to how frequently they can picket, he said.
Some being hired to replace union workers don't have the proper credentials and training to be working in a high-security facility like a power plant, he said.
"Contractors like mine who spend a lot of money on training are being beat out by other people who don't do that," he said. "Here's a company expecting everyone to work for next to nothing, yet they keep raising their utility rates."
Central to the dispute is what's called a Transportation Workers Identification Credential, or a TWIC Card. The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Agency requires the card for those who work in facilities with port or marine entrances. To get one, workers must get a background check, be fingerprinted and face other scrutiny.
Czerwinski said unions require contractors that bid on jobs at Conectiv to have a TWIC Card, and since there's an administrative cost associated with getting the credentials, it can make their bids higher than a non-credentialed contractor.
New Castle County Councilman Timothy Sheldon (D-New Castle), who is a member of Local 74, said he's heard reports of workers without a TWIC Card doing work in portions of the plant where it's required. He said those reports prompted him, along with Councilman John Cartier (D-Penny Hill), to sponsor a resolution urging federal and state officials to investigate, which the council ratified on Tuesday night.
Conectiv Spokeswoman M.Q. Riding said any claims that undocumented, non-credentialed workers were working in areas of the plant requiring TWIC certification are untrue.
She said the plant, which employs 130 full-time workers, has very strict procedures for purchasing that ensure contracts are awarded in a "fair, non-biased manner."
"It's a competitive bid process that includes both union and non-union contractors and we went with the lowest bidder," Riding said.
But Czerwinski said Conectiv, as a regulated utility, should have higher standards.
"It just seems to me that what used to be a public facility should be more concerned about safety and security at their site," he said.
"Our next plan is to try to work with state and federal officials to turn up the heat," he said.
Calls to Delaware's Department of Homeland Security were not returned.
