Schumer To National Grid: Plans To Outsource Syracuse Jobs Violates The Spirit Of Earlier Agreements; Senator Calls On Utility To Keep All Jobs Right Where They Are - In Syracuse

Press Release

NYS Public Service Commission Agreed To National Grid-Keyspan Merger After National Grid Promised to Keep Syracuse Customer Service Center Open - Utility Said Any Work Force Reduction Would Be Through Attrition, Not Outsourcing

Schumer Discloses: In Personal Phone Call, Schumer Urged National Grid CEO To Stick To The Spirit Of Their Original Agreement and Not Go Through With Outsourcings - Schumer Cites Positive Tone Of Phone Call As Reason for Hope

Schumer: National Grid Should Know the Right Thing to Do is to Keep the Jobs Here in Syracuse, And I Believe We May Have Swayed Them In That Direction

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that he has made a personal phone call to the head of National Grid, Tom King, urging him to abandon reported plans to outsource approximately 200 well paying technical jobs in the coming year. Schumer said that National Grid, when they merged with Keyspan, said that they would work to preserve jobs in Syracuse and that any workforce reduction that occurred would be through voluntary retirements and attrition. They also agreed to work to preserve jobs in New York. Schumer expressed to King that outsourcing these IT jobs violates the spirit of the agreement and would be a blow for Central New York, especially in the wake of rate and delivery increases recently approved by the PSC.

Schumer described his conversation with Mr. King as positive, and said that Mr. King was receptive to the message that preserving jobs in Central New York is critically important. Schumer said that there was no reason for celebration yet, but that his conversation with Mr. King gave him hope that National Grid was moving in the right direction.

"When National Grid merged with Keyspan in 2006, the company said they would work to keep the jobs in Central New York. Any attempt to outsource these jobs violates the spirit of that agreement," said Schumer. "Syracuse has a world-class workforce and during these tough economic times, we should be focused on keeping jobs in the United States, not sending them overseas and that is why I have called upon National Grid to fulfill their original promise to keep all the jobs at National Grid right where they belong-- in Syracuse. From my conversations with Mr. King, I believe he is receptive to the idea that this is the right thing to do. My conversation with Mr. King made me feel that we're moving in the right direction."

Earlier this week, news reports indicated that National Grid is considering outsourcing much of its information services work, including software programming, computer networking and other functions. The plan could send as many as 200 jobs in Syracuse overseas.

Schumer today said that outsourcing these jobs could not only affect utility services for customers but put people out of work at a time when the job market is still weak.

Schumer said that the move is particularly egregious because when National Grid merged with Keyspan in 2006, they said that they would work to preserve jobs in Syracuse and that any workforce reduction that occurred would be through voluntary retirements and attrition. Given National Grid's announcement that it is considering outsourcing jobs, Schumer said that the company is clearly violating the spirit of their earlier agreement. Schumer said it is important to weigh in with the company now, as they are in the process of making their decision on the matter.

Today, in an effort to keep the 200 jobs in Syracuse, Schumer announced that he has personally called National Grid CEO Tom King and asked him to fulfill the company's original pledge and keep all the jobs in Syracuse.

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