Historic win for PECO workers

Philadelphia —Workers at PECO, the electric company in Philadelphia, went on strike just before midnight on July 4. The 1,600 workers won a tentative agreement only minutes before midnight on July 6.

With their three-day strike — the first walkout in the company’s 145-year history — the International Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 614 won a five-year contract that includes 3% to 4.5% wage increases over each year. It also restored defined benefit pensions and retirement health benefits for 600 newer workers, hired since 2021 but deemed ineligible by the company for the same benefits as more tenured workers. 

The agreement also guarantees a 24-hour notice of mandatory overtime for call center workers and an increase in upgrade pay as compensation for filling in for a higher-paid position.

Profits at PECO, an investor-owned utility and monopoly owned by Exelon, skyrocketed by $814 million over the previous year after rate hikes in 2025. This represents an increase of almost 50%.

The workforce includes line workers, gas technicians and call center workers at Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility. IBEW Local 614 business manager Larry Anastasi called the strike a “historic win.” He stated: “This is the beginning of a new era at PECO, one where greed does not go unchecked, and the workers who make modern life possible get the respect and dignity we are owed.

“For years, PECO has disrespected, devalued and denigrated the men and women who keep the lights on and gas flowing. Management stole our pensions, eroded our medical benefits and exploited our wages while jacking up rates, recording record profits and skimming the fat for the C-suite. This contract begins to right those wrongs.” (WHYY, July 7)

Timing was everything with Philadelphia being the center of the 250th anniversary celebration of the U.S. adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Massive Fourth of July celebrations were planned to include a giant concert in Center City and the hosting of World Cup games. The strike also took place during a heat wave, with temperatures 100 degrees and above for multiple days. Violent storms on July 4 also knocked out power to over 57,000 customers.