OK as far as it goes, but let's look ahead. Change JCP&L's tariffs: remove its exemption from liability to customers for extended outages; require intrastructure improvements; require JCP&L to provide accurate timelines for restoring power to specific service areas.

One simple example: the company still strings lines from wooden poles, like telegraph wires in the Civil War. Put the lines underground, and JCP&L won't need to recruit over a thousand lumberjacks (actually, "forestry-trained workers" or a similar nonsense phrase) every time there's a storm.

Without meaningful action by the BPU, JCP&L has no incentive to improve - or even to hasten the recovery, since it is immune from liability for the outage.

Even in the midst of a hurricane, he feels the need to take a dig at at the teachers

Really, Holly? With all that's happened and so many things at stake, lives still being lost, people homeless and cold, you've taken that away from the article? I bet you have power, heat and aren't losing any income from this. Two words - GROW UP!!!

Even in the aftermath of a hurricane (and three days off for teachers and students) I know of at least one district where the teachers voted to not come back to school because many has pre-scheduled vacations.

Tony: do you not want to schools to open because you have a vacation scheduled OR because they state needs to recover?

Vacation? Are you kidding? Many have evacuated the area. People need time to recover. Up til now we were worrying about just getting by. When power is restored, we'll be picking up the pieces. I've been busting my tail in the trauma unit at my hospital.

Your previous post mentioned you had a pre-scheduled vacation. I assume pre-scheduled means non-refundable?

and I hear Seaside Heights turned down Alabama utility workers' help because they weren't union... they came to help from Alabama and were rebuffed! ...moved on to Long Island where they were welcomed (I hope this news is inaccurate but...)

@ Tony, you took out your other post, but your family can still go on vacation, relax, and then come back and take care of the homework that is missed. let's not forget that we still have the winter weather to get through. that could be horrendous, with missed days too. I mean, how are you going to feel when our children are going to school until the fourth of july? I say make up the time anywhere we can.

I actually had a vacation planned for the same time and it is cancelled and I am losing money. I'm an essential employee, too and I spent 4 days separated from my family because I had to stay and work. It's what we do.

There are reports non union crews being turned away from nj...which if true is outrageous.

The Town of Westfield's most recent Master Plan incorporated buried power/utility lines as recommended for road work. It makes sense to bury all lines whenever new road work or rehab work is being done, even at the high cost.

Dan - Huntsville Utilities have denied those reports:
"Bill Yell, spokesman for Huntsville Utilities, said nine of his employees are currently helping with recovery from Hurricane Sandy and had no union-related issues."
""We were not turned away," he said. "It's a lot more complicated than that. One of the problems is whenever this kind of thing happens people call and ask, 'Are you going to send crews out?' but it's not a situation where everybody jumps in truck and heads up there. You have to work through trade associations. You have mutual-aid agreements and you've got to find a system that needs you and is able to take you."

He said some systems don't use the same voltage and may have different configurations. "You don't just go up there and say, 'Hey, we're here. We're going to start putting up poles for you.""

Listen if the kids don't learn it in 175 school days, they won't learn it in 180 days.

We need to investigate further the research of Nikolai Tesla. He was a brilliant man who stifled by the powers that be...NWO, illuminati, Masons, your pchoice. Free electricity for all with no power companies necessary.

Open outside assitance from non-union workers. I have friends at the power company in MD who are prepared to assist Jersey's power restoraion efforts but are being refused because they are non-union. They headed to NY instead, since NY is more open minded. And it looks like that is paying off for NY.

As for the schools, the kids need it for more than just education. They are under a huge amount of stress that adults can more easily handle. By getting the kids back in school as soon as possible they will at least have 6 or 7 hours of their normal comfortable lives back each day. Teachers took their jobs because they care for the kids and I'm sure they will all agree that getting them back into the classrooms as soon as possible is critical for their well-being. While some schools are still being used as shelters or have too much damage to open, any school that is fit to open should open as soon as possible.

School days missed will be made up, just as snow-days are made up. Schools have to be in session the required number of days and that means that some future holidays or spring break will be eliminated or modified to allow for the required number of days.

Instead of trying to get people who are recovering back to school next week, we should all be working to help our neighbors to recover. It is not just the teachers who have to recover, but all residents... lets get our neighborhoods on the way to recovery and stop bashing one group or another. The school days will be made up as they always have been when snow or other events have caused closings.

1. Easy to believe non-union help rejected in NJ. Discrimination against non-union workers must be made illegal, esp in a state of emergency.

2. My neighbor watched a private company remove a fallen tree from cable lines (not electric lines). He saw 3 - yes 3 - DPW workers stand around and "supervise". Did no work, just watched. Esp. in a state of emergency, rules requiring this non-sense should be suspended.

3. The teacher's union convention in AC - "it's for the kids!". What a joke.

4. Rules protecting companies from competition need to be suspended too. E.g., buying gasoline from out of state refiners or the Jones Act (restricting foreign tankers delivering fuel). Both of these happened, belatedly, but who knows what other restrictions are hampering the recovery effort?

5. As part of preparedness, states should have a list of bogus rules that protect and pamper unions and businesses that automatically get suspended in a state of emergency. For that matter, let's get rid of them all together!

We need to debunk the lie that FoxNews and other rightwing "news" outlets are spreading that non-unionized electrical workers are being turned away. This is not true according to the union and the Alabama company with the non-union workers, who are actively helping NJ residents.

http://alabamapowernews.com/private/ogaojGiFnx

We need to make sure out-of-state electricians, whether unionized or not, know that NJ welcomes and needs their help. This false claim is only going to hurt our state's residents and needs to be shot down fast.

OH, teachers you all are always good for complaining.... It's such a hard life isn't it???? Do a good deed, quit your job so we hear less complaints

Socrates, I would but I am too valuable in the corporate world.
Also, unlike teachers, my promotions and raises are given based on performance. I don't use entitlement as a crutch.

The first comment in this whole series is the only one that matters. Make JCP&L, as part of First Energy statisically one of the worst power companies in the US with respect to customer service, fianancially responsible for their failures. All the BS about teachers and unions is *just* *not* the issue.

135-140 bucks a month i give JCP&L.. an when its times like this the knife goes deeper into us..bunch of shytheads running this company , worst company i ever delt with..the CEO is a bum..i miss PSE&G..they are high class..

Does anybody know if schools open on monday?

Does east brunswick have school monday?