****UPDATE #3 – As of 2:45 pm (Eastern) 11/4/12, this story continues to unfold.
- The IBEW is insisting that no one “turned away” non-union crews. That’s possible: they may have told ’em not to come AHEAD of time: “Amid Sandy’s devastation, Long Island union sent written demand to Florida utilities: Pay dues or stay home“.
- Additionally, Decatur Utilities issued a press release in response to this story: “Upon arriving at a staging area in Virginia, crews were held in place pending clarification of documents received from IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) that implied a requirement of our employees to agree to union affiliation while working in the New York and New Jersey areas. It was andremains our understanding thatagreeing to those requirements was a condition of us being allowed to work in those areas.” They then state they were not ‘turned away’.
- AND, this was a big enough issue that Chris Christie “threatened ‘Disaster Control Act’ order to guarantee nonunion utility workers can help restore NJ power“.
Two Heads are Better Than One 