Middletown, November 2... Utility crews from Huntsville and Decatur Utilities in North Alabama that were supposed to be aiding in recovery efforts in Seaside Heights, New Jersey are instead headed to Long Island, New York today. Apparently crews were turned away by New Jersey responders, and told that they can't do any work, "since they're not union employees."

"Our state is in the midst of recovering from perhaps the worst natural disaster in our history. It is outrageous and unthinkable that crews coming to aid the recovery efforts were told 'Thanks but no thanks' for their help because they were not unionized," said Senator Joe Kyrillos.

"Our state desperately needs the help other states are willing to provide. Turning a crew away because they are not unionized is absolutely unacceptable. I implore the Governor and our Emergency Management Teams to get to the bottom of this incident and ensure this does not happen again. No willing crews-regardless of their union status-- should be turned away during this time of great need across our state. If any crews want to come help in my district, I will certainly make sure they are put to work helping our residents in need."