Ala. utility crew returns home, claiming to be turned away from helping with Sandy

7:31 PM, Nov 2, 2012   |    comments
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Flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy left houses partially underwater in Belmar, N.J.(Photo: Peter Ackerman, Asbury Park Press)

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama utility crew heading to New Jersey has returned home, claiming it had to affiliate with a union to help with the recovery effort after Superstorm Sandy. But union officials, a New Jersey utility company and the governor say they are mistaken.

HOW TO DONATE TO SANDY RELIEF EFFORTS
    
The general manager of Decatur Utilities, Ray Hardin, said a six-member crew left for Seaside Heights, N.J. It got as far as a staging area in Virginia before returning home. Hardin said documents from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers implied the non-union workers had to agree to union affiliation.
    
A spokesman for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said he doesn't know what papers the crew was given, but union and non-union crews are working in New Jersey. He calls it a misunderstanding.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

11/2/2012 4:54:17 PM (GMT -4:00)

Associated Press