Alabama Utility Crews turned away from Sandy Recovery in New Jersey Because they are Non-Union

UNREAL … residents of NJ are not supposed to get power back for 10 days or more and New Jersey is turning away utility crews that have come to help because they are not union.

You would think that after the death, damage and devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey that it would be all hands on deck to help those affected. Not a chance … if you are not Union, you need not apply.

Alabama utility crews were turned away in New Jersey from helping the millions of individuals in the Garden State without power. Why? Because the utility crew was non-union. Way to go Gov. Christie. Instead of mugging for photo-ops with Obama, one would think that you would make sure your state received all the help it could, union affiliation be damned.

WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north Alabama help, but crews from Huntsville Utilities learned they’ll be doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey.

Crews from Huntsville, as well as Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can’t do any work there since they’re not union employees.

As a result of the “thanks, but no thanks” from NJ, crews from Decatur and Huntsville left the Jersey shore and headed to Long Island to pitch in. Maybe they might be more appreciative of any help that others are willing to give. In other cases, crews that came to help who have been turned down are headed back to where they came from.

WAFF’s Mark Thornton reported that Moore and his coworkers “are frustrated being told, in essence, ‘thanks, but no thanks.’”

Another nonunion Decatur Utilities crew is idling in Roanoke, Va., waiting for instructions from Seaside Heights. The town asked them days ago for help, but later told the workers to stand down.

A rejected crew from the Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Co-op in Trinity, Ala. has already turned around and headed back to Dixie.

Oh those unions are just so helpful. They care more about themselves that they do the victims of a disaster the likes that many have never seen. Those of you in the dark in NJ might want to remember this.

You mean to tell me that protecting union jobs are more important that the lives of the folks who are begging for help in NJ? People have no power and no heat and help is being turned away. UNREAL!