As consumers, utility workers are being slammed twice as hard. As customers, we are victims of a deregulatory system that is not providing the economic benefits it was supposed to create. Work crews have been reduced to unacceptable minimums. Preventive maintenance is no longer part of employers' vocabulary. The supply of transformers, cable and other necessary stock and equipment is non-existent.
Management routinely errs on the side of performing minimum service.
With the corporate focus on profits and mergers and acquisitions, electric delivery systems across the country are in disrepair and becoming more antiquated. Long-term planning and concern for the future reliability and safety of these systems are methodically being abandoned. This doesn't leave utility workers in a very enviable position. Employees are demoralized and concerned about reduced numbers and inadequate vehicles and equipment. With its potential volatility, delivering electricity should not be done on a shoestring.