NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Nashville Electric Service is facing accusations that it refused help from willing linemen and contractors as thousands of customers remain without power following a winter storm.
Two members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers told FOX 17 News that NES did not reach out to their union or declined assistance from available crews, potentially opting for less expensive contractors.
At the height of the outages, NES reported more than 109,000 customers without power in Nashville, leaving an estimated quarter of a million people affected during below-freezing temperatures.
One IBEW member, who asked not to be named, said linemen from across the country attempted to come to Nashville to help restore power but were told assistance was not needed.
“I’ve had a lot of people reach out trying to come to Nashville to help restore power,” the union member said. “They keep getting the same answer that NES is full and they don’t need help.” The lineman added that he believed NES did not want to pay union rates.
Another IBEW lineman, who also requested anonymity, said he and roughly 18,000 other linemen were initially staged in North Carolina.
After the storm, it turned out to be less severe, and the crews were reassigned — but not to Nashville. He said he is now working with Middle Tennessee Electric, which has significantly fewer outages than NES.
“Why are we 10 minutes down the road with 2,000 outages when we could be 15 minutes to Nashville and help out with 215 broken poles?” the lineman said. “Union or non-union, they could bring in way more people.”
NES was asked directly during a press briefing whether it had refused help. Spokesperson Brent Baker said the utility had not.
“As far as we know, no,” Baker said. “We are sticking to the path of bringing on the crews that we have partnered with and through the mutual aid.”
FOX 17 News also sent NES an email asking which crews were turned away, why they were declined, and whether union status played a role. No response had been received at the time of publication.
Meanwhile, a petition has been started urging NES to hire any available linemen, arguing that more workers are needed than the roughly 700 currently assigned.
“People’s homes right now are in the 30s,” said Cecilia Prado with the Nashville People Power Committee. “It’s going to be single digits outside again. People are going to die.”
FOX 17 News has also received numerous comments on social media from viewers reporting similar claims that NES declined help from contractors or union members.
The station says it will continue seeking answers from NES and will provide updates when a response is received.
