IBEW Local 15 Member Writes to Support Local 134 Members at Exelon Power

http://www.suntimes.com/output/lazare/cst-fin-lew15.html




"I work for ComEd, and I, as well as thousands of I.B.E.W. union members, don't share the same views that the Tierney/Philadelphia agency depicts in its new "promises" campaign for ComEd. For one thing the commercials are predicated on deceit and fantasy. The people in the commercials are Exelon employees, yes, but they're not electrical linemen. They are office managers and customer service reps who jumped at the opportunity to masquerade as stormtroopers with or without ever thinking what a slap in the face it would be to the men and women who are actually forced to work under the extreme conditions mentioned. I say "forced" because where we used to have a full complement of crews to cover the area with plenty of volunteers for weekend and holiday work, those days are long gone. Through attrition, downsizing and firings we just don't have the manpower to keep their arrogant promises. With thunderstorms already upon us and the heat waves coming, the last thing we need is some office clerk making promises they could never keep.

Kevin P. Kohrt

IBEW Local 15




ComEd responds:

Our Exelon employees at ComEd in Illinois work hard every day to keep the lights on. They are the heart of this campaign, and they were nominated by their supervisors because they are the ones who enable us to live up to our commitments to our customers. The employees include both union and non-union workers, and they represent, in many respects, the diversity of our workplace. We are very proud to show our employees in these ads and regret that some, like Mr. Kohrt, do not share this pride. In any event, we are grateful to him and his fellow I.B.E.W. employees for the hard jobs they do all year round.

Kellie Szabo

Exelon Corporate Communications"