Union wants storm probe to include AT&T work

A union leader on Wednesday urged state utility regulators to expand their storm-related investigation of utilities to include AT&T, claiming that out-of-state contractors were used instead of instate company resources.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered an investigation Tuesday of the handling of power restoration and storm response by Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating. The Day first reported that CL&P linesmen's unions believed CL&P was delaying restoration of power by avoiding paying linesmen double time for extended hours, a claim CL&P denied.

The Day also had reported that the state Department of Public Utility Control would investigate 20 complaints about the CL&P's handling of the storm. On Wednesday, the total number of complaints was 29 for CL&P and 3 for UI, DPUC spokesman Phil Dukes said.

On Wednesday, Bill Henderson, president of AT&T's Communications Workers of America Local 1298, said eight trucks with four generators from Ohio were called in to restore phone lines that were damaged when electric poles snapped, instead of using 100 trucks already equipped and located in Connecticut to do the job.

Rell "should also be looking at the telephone company's response" because the way work was assigned caused delays in restoring phone service, Henderson said.

AT&T spokesman Walt Sharp countered that the company "brought in line crews from all over the state of Connecticut and they have been working overtime since the area became accessible on Monday. We've replaced more than 100 utility poles and are working on others."

Sharp also said the company needed mostly generators not permanently mounted on trucks, and consequently did bring in some from Ohio for that purpose.

Henderson sent a letter to DPUC Commissioner Kevin DelGobbo asking that the probe include AT&T. As of late Wednesday, Dukes and Rell spokesman Rich Harris said it was not clear whether the letter had been received.

CWA Local 1298 has been working without a contract since last April.

Also by Wednesday afternoon, power had been restored to all but 21,000 customers for CL&P and 28 for UI. A UI spokesman said the company expected to have all the power restored by late Wednesday.

By midnight tonight, CL&P projected fewer than 10,000 customers would be without power from the storm. By midnight Thursday, the number was expected to be reduced to fewer than 2,000 customers, the company said.