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Union leaders tell Baltimore council contractors, not in‑house crews, are driving costs as trainees are laid off
Summary
IBEW Local 410 leaders testified that BGE’s expanding use of contractors for pipeline and storm work has coincided with layoffs of trainees and entry‑level union employees and may be more expensive for ratepayers than in‑house labor.
Brian Swiger, assistant business manager for IBEW Local 410, told the City Council that BGE has shifted core work — gas pipeline installation, leak remediation, underground cable and substation tasks — to outside contractors and that strategy coincided with record profits and layoffs.
Swiger said the layoff notices initially covered roughly 64 employees and that about 30 trainees or first‑year workers remained displaced at the time of the hearing. He testified this cadre includes…
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