Letters to the Editor
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Not quite the whole story
Dong and others....
Yes, utilities are deregulated, but all a utility would have to do to bump up pay is to create a business case and request a rate hike from the PSC. They'd probably get it. At least where I live they would.
Pay wasn't even the issue. A good lineman could easily make $60+/yr after a few years. There's plenty of overtime to be had. The issue was getting a "qualified" candidate from the get go. One poster mentioned failed national drug poilcy. I agree with that. Many perfectly good lineman candidates washed out because of a drug conviction. Most, however, couldn't pass the pre-employment written tests which mostly were placed at an 8th grade level. (Another failing from a broad societal perspective.)
Our challenge was to find someone who 1) liked working with his or her hands 2) didn't mind hard dangerous work 3) was "smart" enough to pass the written tests while 4) were able to pass the criminal background.
Not an easy task in this day and age.
Utilities are also complicit. They're too conservative. They don't like change. They don't attract young employees. They're top heavy with older employers. And when we did workforce planning, it was like pulling teeth to have them fund extra slots to account for all projected attrition during lineman training.
Finally no, it's not the government's responsibility to prop up utilities. However, it is their responsibility to ensure reliable electrical service. That service is going to seriously be compromised in short order.