At 8: 08 a. m. ET on March 31, the morning feels routine until the word peco lands in conversation like a weather warning: midnight is the deadline. For the linemen, gas technicians, mechanics, and call center workers who keep the region’s electric and natural gas systems running, the day is still filled with switches, radios, and customer calls—but it is also filled with the possibility that work could stop if a deal is not reached in time.
The current agreement between PECO and IBEW Local 614 is set to expire at midnight Tuesday. Union leaders and company management are expected to meet again Tuesday morning in what both sides have described as a last push to reach an agreement. The union says more than a thousand workers across the region could be headed toward a strike if negotiations fail.
What is happening with Peco workers and the IBEW Local 614 contract?
The contract between PECO and IBEW Local 614 is set to expire at midnight Tuesday, and negotiations have been ongoing for two months, as described by both the company and the union. The union represents roughly 1, 600 workers, including linemen, gas technicians, mechanics, call center employees, and back office workers. If a walkout happens, it could affect approximately 1. 7 million PECO customers across southeastern Pennsylvania.
Union leaders say Local 614 has never gone on strike. Another union leader framed the stakes differently: if negotiations break down and a strike is authorized, it would be the first strike in the 20 years the union has worked with PECO. Either way, both sides are preparing for what could be a pivotal day.
Why are the union and the company so far apart?
IBEW Local 614 says it is fighting for higher wages, improved healthcare benefits, and the restoration of pensions. Lawrence Anastasi, president and business manager of IBEW Local 614, argued that retirement is central to the dispute. “We want the same pension and benefits they are giving to the foremen and the executives. We don’t even want to be above industry standard. We want to be industry standard, ” Anastasi said.
Anastasi also described the work in blunt terms: “They work around the clock. They work on high voltage, 80 feet in the air, underground manholes with rats, roaches and needles. They jackhammer. They work on live gas mains. They go into homes and get people out before they blow up. ” Union officials say their proposal reflects the “risk, skill, and public value” of maintaining critical infrastructure.
PECO’s Chief Operating Officer, Nicole LeVine, said the company is trying to balance employee compensation with customer affordability. “It’s important for us to make sure we are compensating our employees in a way that meets industry benchmarks but also keeping in mind the challenges our customers currently have with affordability, ” LeVine said. She also praised the workforce: “They’re the ones that are out there making sure we get the customers’ lights on as soon as possible. They are a highly-skilled, great group of employees. ”
LeVine said PECO is offering a competitive wage and benefits package. A company representative provided average salaries with overtime for certain positions in 2025: Lineman: $243, 569; Customer Service Representative: $117, 887; Gas Mechanic: $146, 470; Transmission & Substation Mechanic: $159, 548. Anastasi responded that those numbers do not tell the whole story.
How could a strike affect customers—and what safety concerns are being raised?
A walkout could ripple outward quickly. The union says a strike could impact about 1. 7 million PECO customers across southeastern Pennsylvania. That is the scale behind the anxiety: customers want reliability, workers want recognition and long-term security, and both sides are negotiating under a deadline measured in hours.
Union leaders have also raised concerns about worker and consumer safety, including deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure. Those concerns sit alongside the union’s focus on wages, healthcare benefits, and pensions—an argument that safety and retention are linked when the workforce is responsible for critical systems.
The union also points to PECO’s recent financial performance, noting that the company reported a nearly 50% increase in profits last year following rate hikes that raised customer bills. In the union’s telling, that context strengthens its case that compensation and retirement benefits should better reflect the risks and skills required on the job.
What happens next at the bargaining table—and at the NLRB?
Negotiations are set to continue Tuesday morning. The union is expected to provide an update during a news conference scheduled for 10 a. m. ET Tuesday. The same day, union leadership plans to announce it will be filing charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board, citing what it calls a lack of progress in negotiations and alleging the company has not been bargaining in good faith.
LeVine described the company’s goal in measured terms: “We’re looking forward to finding an equitable agreement for everybody. Hopefully, we’ll be able to move forward with a new contract. ” Anastasi offered a line that captures the union’s posture as the deadline nears: “I am not stopping until the people who risk their lives to do this job get what they’re entitled to. ”
Back where the day began, the work still looks the same—trucks, calls, and a system that must stay on. But the hours now carry a second meaning: the possibility that peco crews who restore power and respond to gas emergencies could be off the job after midnight, and that the next update may come not from a routine shift change, but from a bargaining room and a 10 a. m. ET microphone.
