PECO, labor union accuse each other of negotiating in bad faith in NLRB filings

Contract negotiations between PECO and the utility company’s 1,500 union workers have reached a boiling point, with both sides filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

Members of IBEW Local Union 614 — which represents PECO’s linemen, gas technicians, mechanics, call center workers, and back office workers — have been working without a contract since March 31, 2026, when its previous contract with PECO expired.

Now, the negotiations appear to be at a stalemate with both sides accusing the other of engaging in bad faith.

In a charge filed with the NLRB on Friday, April 17, PECO accused the union of having a “take-it-or-leave-it” attitude towards its bargaining positions, failing to meet at reasonable times and engaging in obnoxious conduct.

The union, in their latest charge filed with the NLRB on Monday, April 20, accused PECO of not showing up to a previously confirmed bargaining meeting that was scheduled for Sunday, April 19.

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The union also accused PECO of changing the terms for a tentative agreement on employee emergency vacation days, as well as not engaging on core contract issues such as pension, compensation and benefits.

“Negotiations were scheduled for Sunday morning and PECO management didn’t even show up,” Larry Anastasi, the union’s president and business manager, said in a press release. “It’s total disrespect. We are doing everything we can to reach a deal, but it feels impossible when management blows us off, jerks us around, and refuses to negotiate on the actual issues. Bargaining in good faith requires actually showing up.”

PECO addressed the April 19 meeting in a statement to NBC10, saying, “At the eleventh hour, Local 614 unilaterally insisted on virtual bargaining and refused to meet in person, which is not as effective as meeting in person.”

PECO also said that they have continued to “offer dozens of dates in April and May, including nights and weekends, to continue negotiations. But the union, in its NLRB filing, said that the meetings PECO is offering are a “waste of time” if the company does not show up to the bargaining table in good faith.

PECO, in their statement to NBC10, said they dispute the union’s characterization of negotiations.

“We also vehemently disagree with the characterization in the charge filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board and will respond through the appropriate legal process,” PECO said.

The labor union has the ability to authorize a strike, but has not yet done so. The union also said that it filed another unfair labor practice charge after its contract expired earlier this month.

The current situation is the first time that PECO employees have worked without a contract since they unionized 20 years ago.