PECO's First-Ever Strike Ends With Tentative Deal: What the Historic Utility Walkout Signals for Energy Workers

At 12:01 a.m. on July 4, approximately 1,600 PECO workers went on strike. Three days later, PECO Energy Company and IBEW Local 614 reached a tentative agreement, ending the first work stoppage in the utility's 145-year history.

"Tonight, we declare victory," Larry Anastasi, president and business manager of IBEW Local 614, said.

Members had worked without a contract since April 1, following more than five months of bargaining. A federal mediator joined the talks in late June, before the walkout. The union said PECO workers were paid about 30% less than comparable employees at other regional utilities, putting industry-standard wages at the center of the dispute. The union also sought to end a tiered benefits system that had left approximately 600 workers hired after 2021 without pensions or retirement medical coverage.

The striking workers included linemen, gas odor responders, technicians, call center staff, and back-office employees serving millions of customers across five southeastern Pennsylvania counties. Workers had voted 94% to authorize the strike before it began. "We said from day one that our members' top priorities were restoring pensions and retirement medical coverage for all members, and we won that and more," Larry Anastasi, president and business manager of IBEW Local 614, said.

The timing raised the stakes. The strike opened during an intense regional heat wave and severe storms that knocked out power for approximately 150,000 PECO customers. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker sent a letter urging PECO and IBEW Local 614 to reach an agreement before the July 4 strike deadline, warning of the impact on essential utility services for millions of residents.

Under the tentative agreement, all members—including workers hired after 2021 and future hires—would receive cash-balance pension plans. All members would receive full retirement medical coverage. The proposed five-year contract includes annual raises of 4% to 4.5% for linemen and gas technicians, along with 3% annual raises for call center employees. The agreement includes 24-hour notice for mandatory overtime for call center workers and improved pay for work outside normal job duties.

"Throughout this process, PECO has remained focused on doing what is right for our customers, employees, and the communities we serve," PECO Energy Company said in a statement. "This tentative agreement reflects our commitment to recognizing the important contributions of our represented employees while ensuring we continue to provide the safe, reliable energy service our customers depend on every day."

"This is the beginning of a new era at PECO, one where greed does not go unchecked," Larry Anastasi, president and business manager of IBEW Local 614, said. Jimmy McGill, assistant business manager of IBEW Local 614, cited concerns about "aging infrastructure and the danger of unqualified, unskilled people working the system."

Other utility-sector actions point in the same direction. Atlantic City Electric workers represented by IBEW Local 210 went on strike on Nov. 5, 2023, and reached a tentative agreement on Dec. 1, 2023, after nearly a month of striking. Enmax electrical workers represented by IBEW Local 254 in Calgary passed a strike authorization vote in June 2025 with nearly unanimous support.

The tentative agreement must still be ratified by IBEW Local 614 members before taking effect. But the PECO outcome establishes a playbook for utility workforces that have never struck: a brief, well-timed work stoppage at a moment of maximum employer vulnerability—a heat wave, widespread outages, a holiday weekend—can deliver major contract gains without a protracted battle.