PECO disputes union claims of assault against picketers

PECO'S largest union, IBEW Local 614, has been on strike since midnight Saturday. The union says negotiations are scheduled to resume at about 10 a.m. Sunday. In a statement issued Saturday, union officials say three picketers have been involved in physical altercations, including one member who was pushed to the ground by PECO security at a facility on Oregon Avenue, and two others struck by vehicles. PECO disputed the allegations, calling them "completely false." The company says, based on its own investigation into the incidents, it determined the picketers fell on their own and weren't hit by any vehicles. PECO says it hopes to move forward through the use of a federal mediator who has been assigned to the case. Union leaders say picketers will be out in force again Sunday until a deal is reached. Close to 20,000 PECO customers were without power at one point Saturday evening from York to Philadelphia after heavy thunderstorms rolled across Pennsylvania. The outage map on PECO's website is currently unavailable. (photo credit: NBC10)