March 31, 2026
Provided Image/IBEW Local 614
Larry Anastasi, president of the IBEW Local 614 union, speaks during a rally in front of the PECO headquarters in Center City on Tuesday.
Unionized PECO employees will begin working without a contract Wednesday, and members said a work stoppage may be necessary if an agreement isn't reached soon.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 614, which represents around 1,500 of the company’s mechanics, line workers, customer service representatives and technicians, gathered in front of the PECO headquarters in Center City on Tuesday morning to call for improved health care, retirement benefits and wages.
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Negotiations, which have been ongoing since January, continued ahead of a midnight deadline. Both IBEW 614 and PECO have said they will continue to bargain in good faith, but the possibility of a strike remains on the table.
Larry Anastasi, president with IBEW 614, said the union understands the impact they could have on the millions of people that rely on PECO service and would not make a decision to pursue a work stoppage lightly.
“The way things are going right now, we haven’t moved on anything of substance,” Anastasi said about the negotiations.
Nicole LeVine, senior vice president and COO for PECO, said the company is prepared for any potential work stoppage and anticipated a “seamless” transition for customers should a strike take place.
As talks continued Tuesday afternoon, Stuart Davidson, lead negotiator for IBEW 614, announced that the group had filed unfair labor relations charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. The charges allege that PECO has “failed and refused to provide material and relevant information to IBEW Local 614” during negotiations. LeVine did not comment on the charges.
Among the largest sticking points for the union is its bid to end PECO’s current tiered retirement benefit system, which has left any employee hired after 2021 without a pension and others with reduced pensions.
LeVine said even though the company moved away from traditional pensions, union members are still offered a “very competitive” 401(k) and medical benefits packages.
Workers said they are also looking for a fair salary for the unpredictable work they do, although they did not disclose the increase they are proposing. PECO said linemen on average made around $243,000 in 2025, including overtime.
“We think that’s extremely competitive,” LeVine said. “Our package has a fair increase in it, but we also need to be mindful that there is an affordability challenge with our customers. We need to be fair to our employees but also our customers.”
However, Jimmy McGill, a lineman with the company for over three decades, said that salary numbers are up because “everyone’s doing the job of two or three people.”
“The work is deeply challenging,” he said. “We work around the clock — in the rain, snow, sleet and even in the bright sunny days. You never know when you’re going to get that call. It comes at all hours of the day, all hours of the night. I’ve missed countless family events in my 30-plus years.”
During Tuesday’s rally, workers cited reports from PECO’s parent company, Exelon, which showed the utility increased its profits by nearly 50% in 2025 and also referenced the lingering affordability crisis for its 1.7 million electric customers, who have seen skyrocketing bills.
PECO also filed two separate rate case requests on Monday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission that would increase rates for average customers in the area by around 12.5% for electricity and around 11.4% for natural gas, WHYY reported.
“It’s not a matter of whether they can give us a livable wage, a pension and respectable health care, it’s are they willing to?” said Charlie Termine, a technician with IBEW Local 614. “Do they value our skill set? Do they value what we provide to the public? It sure doesn’t feel that way.”
