More Than 150 State Utility Workers Rally

HARTFORD (AP) — More than 150 Connecticut Light & Power’s unionized linemen rallied at the state Capitol on September 17, saying staffing levels at the electric utility are inadequate and are putting workers at risk and impeding service reliability.

The union, which has been without a contract since June, said the utility has about 400 linemen, fewer than it had last October when a snowstorm left tens of thousands of customers, including thousands in Newtown, without power for days.

Tens of thousands more were also left without power for long periods when the remnants of Hurricane Irene struck the state last August.

‘‘We need help and we need help now, not next year or the year after, but today. We want help,’’ said Steve Casper, a 30-year veteran lineman who works in the New Milford area and is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 420. He said he works with a crew of 13 people — down seven people from five years ago — that is responsible for eight towns.

Tricia Taskey Modifica, a spokeswoman for the utility, said staffing levels are on par with other utilities across the nation. She said hundreds of experienced crews are brought in from out of state when an emergency strikes.

‘‘The truth of the matter is, it wasn’t understaffing that left people without power for more than a week. It was that a historic storm that we’d never seen before that devastated our state and devastated our system,’’ she said. ‘‘We had 2,200 utility crews on the ground from outside companies who came in to help, so it really wasn’t a staffing issue.”

The linemen held a noontime rally on the state Capitol steps. Some wore shirts that referred to CL&P as ‘‘Corporate Lying Pigs’’ and held signs that called ‘‘safe staffing now,’’ “stop the greed’’ and ‘‘reliable power.’’ Some top Democratic politicians, including state House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey and Senate President Donald Williams, turned out to express support for the workers.

Sen Williams said state legislators listened carefully to the workers after the two storms hit Connecticut and used their recommendations as part of a package of changes enacted by the General Assembly and Governor Dannel P. Malloy to improve preparedness and response to major storms.

‘‘We need to stand with you to make sure those reforms are not just words on a page,’’ Sen Williams told the crowd.

The lineman also received the support of federal officials, including US Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representatives Chris Murphy and John Larson, who sent representatives to the rally. Sen Blumenthal, the former state attorney general, called for increased staffing, fair compensation for the workers, and affordable rates.

He said the company has ‘‘the opportunity and obligation to do the right thing for both workers and consumers.’’

“CL&P workers deserve a fair deal, with fair wages and benefits, and Connecticut consumers deserve fair rates, with assurance that their service will be reliable and responsive,” Sen Blumenthal said. “Just last year, inadequate staffing contributed to lengthy delays in restoring electricity to countless homes, businesses, schools, and potential services. Families had to leave their homes, medically fragile seniors were endangered, schools were shuttered for a week, and businesses suffered huge financial damage — largely because CL&P staffing and planning were deplorably lacking.”

Saying CL&P workers performed with extraordinary dedication and diligence to restore power after the storms, Sen Blumenthal said there were simply not enough of them.

“Years of attrition and reductions in workforce caused the utility to depend on outside contractors who were often unavailable or inadequately skilled,” he added. “The company now has the opportunity and obligation to do the right thing for both workers and consumers.”

Frank Cirillo, business manager for the IBEW, Local 420, complained that lower staffing levels at CL&P have led to forced overtime under the threat of discipline.

“That’s a total shame. It shouldn’t be that way,” he said.

Ms Modifica said ‘‘antiquated union rules’’ prevent the company from being able to schedule line workers when customers need them most. But Mr Cirillo said the company already has the flexibility it needs to schedule the employees.