To the Editor: As ratepayers face the unsustainable consequences of a for-profit energy system, Central Hudson workers are at the frontline of receiving wrath from frustrated customers. The Hudson Valley Power Authority Act, a state bill that would replace the corporate monopoly with a public benefit state corporation, would protect not just ratepayers, but also Central Hudson workers.

Under the current system, everything the workers need — whether that’s wage increases or new equipment — has to be funded through a rate increase, which unnecessarily pits workers against the ratepayers. Under the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act, the profit motive would be eliminated and the public utility would be able to access low-cost capital, meaning there would be savings to put towards worker needs without necessarily increasing rates. Not only that, the bill explicitly gives Central Hudson workers new protections and power they currently don’t have:

First, the union gets a seat on the board of trustees and two seats on the governing board of the oversight body.
Second, the hiring of short-term contractors over union workers in order to save money is prohibited.
Third, workers keep their private-sector status and do not lose their current pensions and the right to strike.
Fourth, the hiring of workers transitioning off fossil fuel or living in the service territory is required to be prioritized.

Overall, the workers would be in a much better position to do their job and protect their needs.

In Massena, New York, where the town took over its share of the corporate utility, the workers were initially opposed to a public takeover, but once it happened, they joined the public utility union and remain there today with a better quality of life, running a utility that has one of the cheapest rates in the country. We can do the same here in the Hudson Valley.

Charlotte Royer

Kingston