While researching the present day labor costs for the DWP water main replacement program to update yesterday's post on why it takes DWP crews twice as long - and twice as much money to replace a main water line than it does private contractors (now posted on CITY WATCH) - I accidentally discovered that costing only 200% more turns out to be a bloody bargain compared to what it costs DWP work crews to replace old power poles.
According to the Daily News, an internal audit shows that (even though privately owned PG&E in Northern California bills costs its customers $11,000 per power pole and even the City of - when it comes to difficult to reach poles - needs $14,000 to replace a pole) - the DWP estimated with all the union drafted work rules - or non-work rules, to better define the true intent of those rules - it would cost a staggering $25,000 per pole for them to replace their old poles.
And yet they were still wrong! The real cost ended up being $42,000 to replace a each power pole - which is just a hair under 400% more than a privately owned company. And, by the way, PG&E workers are all - unionized. So unions are not the bad guy here. It is one person running one union - and a generation of politicians who enabled him.
Click here for the entire story by Mike Reicher of the Los Angeles Daily News and after you finish reading it - let me know what the chances are you would vote for a massive bond issue - along with much higher water and power costs - BEFORE something was FIRST done to bring DWP costs down to no more than the costs of other utility companies.