Northeast Utilities in Connecticut Tuesday confirmed that it plans to turn over part of its IT operations to two India-based outsourcing firms, despite a recent push by state lawmakers to keep it from doing so.
NU says it employs some 400 IT workers, and “will retain about half of those employees” after turning some operations over to outsourcers Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, two of India’s largest IT firms.
Today’s announcement makes official what had already been suspected — the company had told its IT workers weeks ago that it was considering outsourcing tech work.
The utility, which operates New England’s largest energy delivery system, today said it is “working with strategic business partners to help conduct the rest of the work – the majority of which will still be conducted locally.”
Jobs, jobs, jobs!
Did anybody bother to check how reliable the electrical service in Mumbai is?
Hmmm, utilities control systems run by other countries. Where’s your ‘Homeland Security’ now? On the one hand they whine about how vulnerable we are and immediately turn around and give the keys to the kingdom to the lowest bidder. I wonder which lobbyist bribed this debacle.
Bill Clinton’s NAFTA still at work. Bill, you were then and you are now, one giant asshole.
Excuse me, but isn’t there a principle in place, something called a “regulatory compact”, that kind of covers a situation like this?
Why, yes, yes there is.
http://grist.org/climate-energy/utilities-for-dummies-how-they-work-and-why-that-needs-to-change/
And at that link the compact is explained like this:
“…Here’s how the regulatory compact works.
In a particular service area, a utility is granted a monopoly; in that area, it is the sole electricity provider. It is allowed to charge its customers whatever rates are necessary to cover costs and provide for a reasonable rate of return on investments. In exchange, the utility has to make investments sufficient to provide reliable, low-cost power to any customer in the area who wants it, with minimal “line losses” (i.e., “leakage” of power from power lines). To ensure the utility does not abuse its power, a public utility commission (PUC) monitors its activities and has to sign off on its rates…”
Good Gawd – so they are trying to tell me that despite the dynamos, and the turbines, and the generators, and the whatever fuel costs – be it coal, oil, nuclear or what have you this utility uses – that somehow some wages paid to the IT guys jeopardizes this utility’s ability to cover its costs and/or realize a reasonable rate of return on investment when their “regulatory compact” provides exactly that??
Jesus, what sleazy shits these corporate managers are.
By all means, use the link to see the article. For whatever reason, the author decided to feature several pictures of cute little animals called “quokkas”.
If I am not mistaken, one of the quokkas is named “Imogene”. She used to work with Sid Caesar in the early days of television many years ago.
Prof. Richard Wolff offers a weekly commentary on the economy, from an actual left point of view.
I listen to on WBAI, 99.5 FM, out of NYC at noon on Saturdays. One hour. Very good.
http://www.wbai.org/program.php?program=72
WBAI also needs contributions. It was knocked down by Hurricane Sandy, among other things, and is a valuable source of news the MCM (Mainstream Corporate Media) seldom covers.