IBEW: Nashville Electric rebuffed our offer to help with massive ice storm power outages

[Tanuki]

As one of the >106k Nashvillians still without power since early Sunday morning, this is infuriating! (I am fortunate to have friends who did not lose power and are letting me stay with them.)

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2026/01/28/electrical-workers-union-nashville-electric-service-ice-storm/88381925007/

"The local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) said it offered linemen to help Nashville Electric Service but was turned away in the wake of a crippling ice storm that knocked out power for more than 230,000 customers.

Rory Larget, an assistant business manager with IBEW Local 429, told The Tennessean that the union reached out to NES to offer assistance but was told the utility had all the help it needed.

The IBEW is one of the world’s largest and oldest electrical unions. Larget said the Nashville chapter represents about 350 linemen, with thousands more available nationwide. "We could have had several hundred people on the system for sure,” he said.
.....
The comments come as NES faces growing scrutiny over its response to Winter Storm Fern, which has left thousands in Nashville without power for days amid freezing temperatures. More than 106,000 customers remained without power as of the morning of Jan. 28.".... (more)

[SheltieLover]

1. The hatred of unions sure runs deep, doesn't it?

Glad you are staying with friends!

I hope your power is restored soon!

[Upward]

2. Look for CYA Mode

The IBEW VP is in Chattanooga, it's people on the ground floor in Nashville making the accusation.

At best there was a communication issue between local/regional IBEW.

Nashville has always, always been a place that lets something devolve to crisis stage and doesn't fix what most powerful of the population doesn't consider broken. Even three days ago if you asked why the county doesn't bury power lines in post 1970s development, all you'd hear are excuses.

What's different now is we have tens of thousands of people who were recruited to move here and a lot of them came from places that are more pro-active.