DC PSC May Shut Off Washington Gas Rate Increase Request

In a rare move last Monday, the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) gave Washington Gas (WG) a day to provide evidence showing why the Commission should not dismiss the company’s case for a rate increase. Hearings were scheduled throughout last week but the PSC recessed them on Monday after the company failed to provide copies of a contract with Accenture, Ltd. -- the off-shore job outsourcing broker scheduled to take over 300 customer service jobs in the Metro DC area. The Commission had ordered that all documents be provided by Monday. At Monday's hearing, the Office of the People's Counsel for the District of Columbia (OPC) told the Commission that WG had refused to provide them with requested documents, even after going to the company's headquarters. OPC also urged the Commission to dismiss any request for reconsideration and sanction the company for the continued refusal to provide documents. The Commission also dismissed WG’s claims that the contract is not relevant to their rate increase petition and gave the company until Tuesday to file a request for reconsideration. WG filed their response Tuesday night but, as of Friday, had not provided the Commission with the full contract. OPEIU Local 2, the union representing 160 of the customer service employees affected by the proposed cuts, and the Consumer Utility Board have both argued that the outsourcing constitutes a safety and quality of service risk. “We want to not only ensure that the costs associated with this contract aren’t transferred to District ratepayers, but we’re also concerned that WG technicians will be dispatched to the wrong location because of miscommunication between call center workers and residents,” says Harris. The union also filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against WG in mid-June for the company's refusal to bargain over the outsourcing decision. A decision on the ULP is still pending. But beyond the legal and health and safety issues is the human cost of the outsourcing plan and the impact on the economic liability of the region, said Metro Council President Jos Williams. "Workers and their families will be negatively impacted by this outsourcing plan and, as consumers, we should not have pay for the human costs of something that is going to hurt our neighbors and communities," said Williams. (above right) June OPEIU 2 Washington Gas outsourcing picket in Springfield, VA, photo by Andy Richards; (left) June OPEIU 2 picket against Washington Gas outsourcing outside Washington Gas headquarters, photo by Chris Garlock