NOW A BIGGER ELECTRIC BILL...
PSO Proposes Rate Cut For American Airlines
Wednesday September 01, 2004 5:40pm
AEP Proposal Would Give American Airlines 15-Percent Discount
Tulsa - It could cost you more to turn on the lights to brighten the forecast for Tulsa's largest employer. PSO wants to give American Airlines a fifteen percent rate cut. But, that means its other customers will pay more. That news is turning some customers off.
PSO says it will only cost the average residential customer about a dime per month. But, some say it's the principal of the thing. Since American Airlines first threatened to pull out of Tulsa a year ago, workers have taken pay cuts and taxpayers voted to tax themselves. Now, the power company wants to save them more by raising other customers' electric bills.
Tanning beds are just the start of what Melody Isaacs plugs in every day at Raze of Beauty Salon in Owasso.
"Washer and dryer that never stops, six stylists that run the hair dryers all the time," she says.
The last thing she wants to do is see her electric bill rise.
"I feel like I pay enough as it is," she says.
It costs Isaacs a lot to plug everything in every day. Her June electric bill was more than a thousand dollars. But, it could go up another couple dollars or so if the power company gives Tulsa's biggest employer a rate cut.
PSO says to save American Airlines a million dollars a year on utility costs, other customers should pay more. And, it's all about saving eight thousand jobs at American.
"They have indicated this is an important piece of the overall puzzle in keeping them here," says PSO President Stuart Solomon. "Is it the only thing? Certainly not. Certainly, the Vision 2025 vote was important."
Melody Isaacs voted for that taxpayer-funded economic incentive package that included 22-million dollars for American. After all, she has a lot of customers who work there.
"I value their business," she says. "But, I won't have a business if we have to keep on picking up when big companies leave off."
She thought American was already committed to staying in Tulsa. But now, she wonders what will be asked of her next.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission still has to approve the proposal. Some opponents include some American Airlines maintenance workers. One worker who took a 20-percent cut in pay and lost five vacation days says he's tired of contributing and asks how long is this going to continue?
It's not just Tulsa that would be impacted. The less than one-percent increase proposal would affect all Oklahoma PSO customers. The more than 500-thousand customers live in about 230 communities throughout the state.
PSO Proposes Rate Cut For American Airlines
Wednesday September 01, 2004 5:40pm
AEP Proposal Would Give American Airlines 15-Percent Discount
Tulsa - It could cost you more to turn on the lights to brighten the forecast for Tulsa's largest employer. PSO wants to give American Airlines a fifteen percent rate cut. But, that means its other customers will pay more. That news is turning some customers off.
PSO says it will only cost the average residential customer about a dime per month. But, some say it's the principal of the thing. Since American Airlines first threatened to pull out of Tulsa a year ago, workers have taken pay cuts and taxpayers voted to tax themselves. Now, the power company wants to save them more by raising other customers' electric bills.
Tanning beds are just the start of what Melody Isaacs plugs in every day at Raze of Beauty Salon in Owasso.
"Washer and dryer that never stops, six stylists that run the hair dryers all the time," she says.
The last thing she wants to do is see her electric bill rise.
"I feel like I pay enough as it is," she says.
It costs Isaacs a lot to plug everything in every day. Her June electric bill was more than a thousand dollars. But, it could go up another couple dollars or so if the power company gives Tulsa's biggest employer a rate cut.
PSO says to save American Airlines a million dollars a year on utility costs, other customers should pay more. And, it's all about saving eight thousand jobs at American.
"They have indicated this is an important piece of the overall puzzle in keeping them here," says PSO President Stuart Solomon. "Is it the only thing? Certainly not. Certainly, the Vision 2025 vote was important."
Melody Isaacs voted for that taxpayer-funded economic incentive package that included 22-million dollars for American. After all, she has a lot of customers who work there.
"I value their business," she says. "But, I won't have a business if we have to keep on picking up when big companies leave off."
She thought American was already committed to staying in Tulsa. But now, she wonders what will be asked of her next.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission still has to approve the proposal. Some opponents include some American Airlines maintenance workers. One worker who took a 20-percent cut in pay and lost five vacation days says he's tired of contributing and asks how long is this going to continue?
It's not just Tulsa that would be impacted. The less than one-percent increase proposal would affect all Oklahoma PSO customers. The more than 500-thousand customers live in about 230 communities throughout the state.
