Vectren locks out workers

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Willie Oliver would much rather be checking gas lines than picket lines.

"We're ready to go back to work," Oliver says. "We want to go back to work."

But Oliver and nearly 130 other Vectren workers were locked out Friday morning by the company after the Utility Workers Union of America Local 175 rejected management's latest offer.

Both sides say they were shocked. Vectren by the vote, the workers by the lockout.

"Very surprised because it's never happened," Oliver says. "I couldn't believe it. We normally keep talking."

The sticking point in negotiations is safety.

Management thinks it would be better if the closest worker responded to emergency calls all the time.

Right now that just happens during the day while at night only certain workers who are on-call respond.

"It's all about safety and getting to the customer as quick as we can and this model does it," says Colleen Ryan, President of Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio.

The union argues that it's better to have workers who they feel have more training respond, even if it takes them longer to get there.

"We have to make decisions that are critical in a split second and we have to have the most qualified people out there to do that," says Kelly Cooper, President of UWUA Local 175.

Vectren says the lockout won't impact your service because it has other technicians in the field handling things.

"If you need to call Vectren, you call Vectren as you always do," Ryan says. "We'll respond as we always have."

But the union disagrees, saying the other workers aren't familiar with the area.

"We feel it's a terrible injustice to the community and to the workers," Cooper says.

Union leaders tell 2 NEWS they offered dates to meet next week and negotiate but Vectren officials say they're assessing the situation before going back to the table.

The one thing both sides could agree on. They want to get this solved as soon as possible.