The nearly monthlong lockout of 8,000 utility workers by utility company Con Edison officially ended Thursday, following negotiations hosted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The meeting came a day after Cuomo sent a letter to the Public Service Commission urging action to end the lockout.
With the threat of severe thunderstorms Thursday evening, Cuomo called Local 1-2 Utility Workers of America representatives and Con Edison bosses to his office Thursday morning to ensure New Yorkers would not be without power due to ongoing labor negotiations.
At noon Cuomo held a press conference announcing the return of approximately 3,000 workers. Cuomo said negotiations would still be ongoing to get everyone back to work.
“Sometimes a storm has a silver lining. And I think this storm actually had a silver lining by bringing the parties together,” Cuomo said, according to The Associated Press.
At 2:45 p.m. Cuomo and Con Edison officials announced the lockout was over for all workers.
“We would like to thank Governor Cuomo for his support and guidance in helping Con Edison and the leadership of UWUA Local 1-2 reach a tentative agreement that is fair and equitable for our employees and customers. We look forward to our union employees returning to work,” Con Edison said in a statement.
Terms of the tentative agreement were not disclosed by press deadline, and both the union and Con Edison’s board still need to formally approve the deal.
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