Con Ed Locks Out NYC Union

Con Edison has locked out more than 8000 New York City workers after union negotiations broke down early yesterday.

The workers, members of the utility’s largest union, were locked out after their contract expired at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, and talks broke down less than two hours later. About 5,000 managers, including some former union members, will step in to keep the utility running, Con Ed said. But union leaders warned that those managers, who they said included retired supervisors called back to work, might not have the numbers or the training to keep up if the hot weather and the increased demand for air-conditioning created major power failures.

The head of Local 1-2 responded: "What they said last night to the people of New York was, ‘Drop dead.’"