The Mid-State is entering day five of widespread power outages following a crippling winter storm, with hundreds of thousands of people still without electricity as of Wednesday afternoon.
As FOX 17 News first reported Tuesday night, the station received droves of comments, emails, and phone calls accusing the Nashville Electric Service (NES) of denying help from union workers during restoration efforts.
NES denied those claims, stating it did not refuse assistance from union contractors or International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) crews.
Despite that pushback, FOX 17 News reviewed emails that show contractors were told their help was not needed at this time.
NES reported Wednesday morning that 106,000 customers were without power. Later, that number became 103,000.
During a press conference that same day, FOX 17 News pressed Brent Baker, NES’s executive vice president, about the allegations first reported earlier in the week.
“Could you just clarify right here, if NES denied help from IBEW crews or other contractors?” FOX 17 News asked.
Shortly after, Jessica Stewart, a spokesperson for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 205, addressed the claims.
SEIU Local 205 represents public and private sector workers across the state of Tennessee.
“The claim that union workers are being prevented from responding to the storm is false,” Stewart said.
The statements came as dozens of union linemen alleged that NES denied their assistance in restoring power across the Mid-State following the winter storm.
On Tuesday, FOX 17 News reporter Kelly Avellino spoke with two members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who asked to remain anonymous.
“They keep getting the same answer — that NES is full and doesn’t need help,” one union member said.
On Wednesday, FOX 17 News spoke with a third union contractor, who requested anonymity, saying he feared being named could prevent him from working with other utility companies in the future.
“So they (NES) initially said yes, we need your help, and then they said no,” the contractor said.
When asked about SEIU’s statement denying the allegations, the contractor responded, “I will show you the emails here very soon, and you will have the proof that they did.”
FOX 17 News reviewed those emails, which show the contractor reached out to NES on Monday and received a response on Wednesday from an NES employee stating in part:
“At this time, we are covered and do not require additional assistance.”
It goes on to say:
"We’ll be sure to keep that company in mind should any needs arise."
Baker later clarified that NES first works with established utility partners.
“To bring them quickly because they can land on our system and safely respond,” Baker said.
The contractor FOX 17 News spoke with on Wednesday said he has never worked with NES before, aligning with the utility’s explanation of its protocols.
The question now is whether those protocols should change for future winter storms.
https://fox17.com/news/local/emails-c...
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