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Season 3, Episode 73

Our nation’s utilities need greater protection from cyber attacks?

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Guest Name:

James T. Slevin

Guest Website:

https://uwua.net

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Mentions:

Utility Workers Union of America President James Slevin joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the need to protect utility resources from cyber attacks, especially in light of the tragic war in the Ukraine and Russia’s increased aggression on the world stage.

Though utility companies are constantly on the lookout for potential cyber security threats, more needs to be done, Slevin said. Automated systems can present dangers to utility workers as well as the public. He called for a more aggressive and public reporting system for cyber attacks that have been made on utility companies.

More often, utility companies use contractors to perform work on their systems, and many of these contractors are not required to pass a background check, Slevin noted. He said more needs to be done to vet these workers, such as a requirement to carry a certification similar to Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, which are required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act for workers who need access to secure areas of the nation’s maritime facilities and vessels.

Slevin also talked about the challenges his membership faced early in the pandemic. Members worked throughout the pandemic to ensure the public had access to essential services, he said. Some adjustments needed to be made in the interest of worker safety, such as sending out multiple trucks to a utility call so members could practice social distancing, he explained.

Lastly, Slevin discussed the need to develop hydrogen hubs into the nation’s utility grid in order to use natural gas resources more efficiently.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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