Baltimore Utility Employees Voting On Unionization

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Employees at Baltimore Gas & Electric are voting on whether to unionize one of the country's few nonunion utilities.

Voting for about 1,500 employees began Thursday and ends Friday. The employees are deciding whether to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The National Labor Relations Board is holding the election, which is the first at BGE since 2000 when employees voted nearly 2-to-1 against unionization.

The employees include linemen and maintenance workers and represent about half of BGE's 3,200 employees.

Union officials are promising more job security, noting the company's recent efforts to merge or find a buyer. BGE officials say unionization is not needed because its workers have good leadership, pay and benefits.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)