Speaker Quinn releases letter to Con Edison demanding a solution to labor dispute

New York, NY— Today, Speaker Christine C. Quinn released a letter calling for Con Edison to resume negotiations with Local 1-2 without the lockout. The letter urges Con Edison to place the protection of New Yorkers as its highest priority and resolve the dispute without further delay.

In her letter to Con Edison, Speaker Quinn states, “Let me be clear. Your actions do not have my support.” She continues, “Con Edison’s decision to unilaterally impose a lockout during a heat wave, after 30 years of no job disruptions, was an escalation of management/labor tensions to an unprecedented degree, placing many New Yorker’s lives in danger.”

Con Edison’s decision to halt in labor negotiations presents an immediate and significant threat for the safety of New Yorkers, especially as temperatures climb in the hot summer months. Speaker Quinn emphasized that to allow tension between union workers and Con Edison to escalate to an extreme, unwavering level at this critical time is unacceptable.

The full text of the letter has been distributed via social media outlets and can be viewed at http://bit.ly/MkOh7B and on her facebook at https://www.facebook.com/christinecquinn. It can also be viewed on the Council’s website here.

Read the letter (PDF)