IBEW responds to latest barrage of criticisms

Note: The following letter is in response to critical statements made against the IBEW by Southern Sky Renewable Energy, Citizen columnist Joe DeFelice, and a Citizen subscriber. Remarks by all three appeared in the April 26 issue of the Citizen.

Dear Editor:

Sothern Sky LLC, which was newly formed before being awarded a contract to construct the largest landfill solar array in Massachusetts, is proof enough of its inexperience. IBEW Local 103 has never objected to a solar array project being constructed on any landfill, least of all at the Canton site. The IBEW has a long history of making safety a top priority and this project is no different.

It has been asked why Local 103 would support a project beside the National Grid gas tank and not the one in Canton. The answer is simple: One was constructed abiding by state law and electrical code, and the other is not. If Southern Sky were not so inexperienced, they would know that unions cannot force contractors to bid jobs. However, if they want a speculative answer as to why some didn’t, my guess would be that they didn’t want to sign a contract with an unknown company who would be asking them to break the law.

Southern Sky has been given numerous opportunities to provide any and all documentation refuting the statements made by the IBEW. They have not done so. Instead they continue the typical anti-union mantra with gross exaggerations of union pricing. The fact is that the union bidder was a mere 25 percent larger than the winning non-union bid, and in my opinion that is a small price to pay for supporting local workers with health insurance and, most importantly, knowledge of Massachusetts laws with regard to public safety.

The notion that safety is a routine exercise is proof that some should concentrate their efforts on bake sales and finding parking spots at Logan airport. In 2008, it became state law that receptacles in homes be tamper-resistant. This was a direct result of over 14,000 annual deaths caused by people misusing receptacles. And if state law requires the installation of this “meaningless” device to be installed by a licensed electrician, wouldn’t it make sense that the installation of a 5.7MW landfill solar array meets this requirement as well? The IBEW and the concerned citizens of Canton are glad that public safety is left up to properly trained professionals.

Sean Callaghan

Business Agent

Local 103 IBEW

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=13343

Posted by Canton Citizen on May 2 2012. Filed under From One Citizen to Another, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.