This Labor Day, Don't Blame the Workers Who Keep Pennsylvania Running

Labor Day is meant to honor the people who keep our country running. In southwestern Pennsylvania, that includes steelworkers, teachers, nurses, building trades workers, first responders, and utility workers. These are the folks who climb poles, fix wires, clear storm damage, and restore power when we need it most.

That is why it frustrates me when politicians make utility companies out to be villains. If you want to look into rates, that is fair. If you want to ask tough questions in Harrisburg, I am with you. But when leaders go on TV and call utilities nothing but “greed,” they should know who hears that. Utility workers, linemen, substation technicians, and the skilled union workers who keep Pennsylvania running all hear it.

These workers are not the enemy. They are the backbone of Pennsylvania. Companies like West Penn Power are a big part of western Pennsylvania. They serve hundreds of thousands of customers in central and southwestern parts of the state. Their workers keep equipment running, prepare for storms, restore power after outages, and keep our communities connected. When big storms hit and many lose power, crews work nonstop to get the lights back on.

That is public service, even if a private company does the work.

This does not mean electric bills are not a problem. They are. Families are paying too much, seniors on fixed incomes are worried, small businesses are feeling the pressure, and Pennsylvania data shows residential electricity prices have gone up over 14 percent in the past year. That needs attention, but to fix the problem, we need to understand what is really causing it.

Pennsylvania has plenty of energy resources, but we are not building enough new power. Older plants have closed, and new ones have had trouble starting up. Naming the companies that maintain wires and restore service will not build one new power plant, and it will not make electricity cheaper for families in Monessen or anywhere else in Pennsylvania.

Utilities need funding to modernize the grid, strengthen infrastructure, replace old equipment, and get ready for higher demand. That investment creates good jobs: union jobs, skilled trades, construction, engineering, and long-term operations. If Harrisburg makes it harder for utilities to invest, the impact will not hit Wall Street first. It will be felt by workers, customers, and communities that rely on steady power. Good utility jobs should stay in Pennsylvania. Skilled workers deserve respect, not to be used as props in political arguments. State leaders should focus on building an energy future with more jobs, better reliability, and more affordable power.

That means building more power in Pennsylvania. And yes, oversight is important, but oversight is not the same as blaming.

This Labor Day, let us remember who steps up when the grid is tested. Utility workers do. They leave their families during storms so we can turn our lights back on. They do the hard, skilled, and dangerous work that keeps Pennsylvania running.

So before politicians blame utilities, they should think about the workers behind that name. Pennsylvania does not need more blame. We need more power, more accountability, and more respect for the people who keep the lights on.

Ted Harhai served for two decades (1998–2018) representing Westmoreland County as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.