Labor union leaders in Maine have expressed concerns that a planned smart meter installation will result in substantial job losses.  Central Maine Power (CMP) plans to install smart meters for all 600,000 commercial, industrial, and residential customers.

The union leaders said smart meter project will result in the elimination of 141 jobs.  They also believe maintenance costs of the new system will increase and that it will take longer to restore electricity after a storm.  CMP received a Smart grid Investment Grant from the Department of Energy worth $96 million to help pay for the $190 million effort.  The power provider was one of 100 utilities nationwide that were selected to receive the grants.

“The cost to taxpayers is $96 million, and it’s $100 million to ratepayers, at the time we can least afford it,” said Dick Rogers, union steward for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1837.  Rogers has worked for CMP for 29 years and is bothered by the smart meter plans.

George Dukovich, a member of the Interfaith Labor Committee, believes the smart meter installation effort is unethical.  “This is funded with $96 million in federal stimulus funds – funds that are supposed to help our struggling economy,” said Dukovich.  “But it would lay off 141 workers.  That is unethical.”

A public hearing on the subject was held January 20 but CMP representatives did not provide testimony.  CMP has already asked for immediate authorization to begin installing the new meters.

The power provider says the smart meters will reduce operational costs and will give customers access to energy usage information in real time.  Suppliers will be able to design innovative new pricing programs based on time of use.  Smart meters are an essential first step towards the smart grid of the future.

Sara Burns, president of CMP, released a statement that said consumers would get a more reliable system that would result in lower energy costs as well.  CMP operates more than 25,000 miles of power lines that provide power for more than 80 percent of the state’s population.

“This is transformational technology for consumers, the environment, and the utility industry,” said Burns last October when CMP was selected to receive the grant money.  “Smart grid technology empowers people with better information.  It enables choices for supply and price that Maine consumers just don’t have today, and it helps us plan and operate our business more efficiently.”

Burns also said in October that the project would create jobs.  “In the short term, it will create 200 new jobs to install the system next year, while homeowners and businesses will see lasting benefits.”

Bill Dunn, assistant business manager for IBEW 1837, disagrees with that assessment.  Dunn said that an automatic metering proposal previously submitted would have cost $95 million but was found to be cost prohibitive in 2009.  Dunn says CMP reworked the proposal after federal stimulus money became available.

Dunn believes the new system will probably be less reliable than the one already in place.  He said mechanical meters are “bulletproof” and the new smart meters would cost more to maintain.  Maintenance workers are included among the 141 workers that will lose their jobs, said Dunn.

Rogers added that the meter readers represent a third of CMP’s storm recovery crew and are responsible for moving supplies, inspecting lines, and helping line workers locate downed lines and poles.  Smart meters are designed to automate the meter reading process so meter readers don’t have to inspect them manually.  Dunn believes that if meter readers lose their jobs than the recovery process will take longer after a storm.

A final decision on the project is expected from the Public Utilities Commission in a month or so, according to chairwoman Sharon M. Reishus.

Central Maine Power Company
83 Edison Drive
Augusta, ME 04336
http://www.cmpco.com

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
900 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
http://www.njatc.org

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