On Dec. 3, a Wisconsin power utility (Wisconsin Public Service) that serves the Fox Valley area of the state notified members of Local 310 of the International Union of Operating Engineers that they may be laying off upward of 74 employees within one year. This notification is a requirement as a part of the union contract.
What is interesting about this layoff notification is the reasoning behind the layoffs:
The utility is looking at ways to cut costs tied to environmental regulations associated with running coal-fired power plants, WPS spokesman Kerry Spees said.
So to pay for modifications to make their power plants meet environmental regulations regarding coal-fired power plants they are going to lay off the very people who they need to make the modifications.
This sounds like Wisconsin Public Service is crying wolf to get some regulations rolled back: If we threaten to take jobs away then maybe the government, i.e. Scott Walker, will step in and tell us we don't have to update our dirty coal-fired power plants. After all, who needs clean air and mercury-free fish?
Why do I feel these claims of needed layoffs are bogus? When pushed on the issue utility spokesman Kerry Spees stated:
[T]here's not a specific regulation that's driving up costs. He said as plants get older, it's more expensive to modify them to meet new changes.
He acknowledged it's possible that no workers are ultimately laid off.
So there is no specific regulation and it is possible that no workers will be laid off. In other words, Wisconsin Public Service is threatening the livelihoods of 74 people in order to have some unspecified regulation rolled back so they can keep more profit instead of investing it back into the company's infrastructure.