July 13, 2011 - “It’s all about pensions.” That’s the word of union officials and rank and file manning the
picket line outside Constellation Energy’s two nuclear power plants just
outside Oswego.
Following an overwhelming rejection of 425 to 49 of a contract offer by Constellation
last week, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 97opted on
Friday to strike when the company failed to offer any concessions to the
rejected contract.
Just under half of the workers at the nuclear facility went
on strike at midnight on July 8 when their contract with Constellation expired.
Security personnel at the plant, also covered under Local 97, are precluded
from strike by law, but just over 450 of the facility’s nearly 1,000 workers
are now on strike. “The amount of money we’re striking over is less than what
was paid as a bonus to top officials last year,” noted one worker.
The strike
at Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 is of interest in a number of ways on a
national level as well as on the picket line. In March, under the leadership of
Governor Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Senate passed a bill that provided for a
drastic reduction of collective bargaining rights for public sector workers,
including worker contribution to pension plans. That anti-union bill was
recently upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a blow to labor unions
throughout the country. A breakdown at Nine Mile, a stronghold of union labor,
would have a devastating national impact.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is
carefully scrutinizing operation of the facility, now being run by
Constellation management, to ensure public safety. Three extra inspectors have
been sent to the site. Nuclear safety and the continuation of nuclear
development has been forefront since the devastation of the Fukushima Nuclear Facility
in Japan
in March has led to concerns of the safety of the industry in whole. For the
people on the line, it’s a lot simpler than that. They want the pensions
promised to them and “We want recognition that we are a skilled labor force.”
In
a prepared statement to the press, Constellation Energy Nuclear Group said that
the company has spent the last year devising a contingency plan and prepared by
training managers to step in if necessary. Two weeks ago, managers began “job
shadowing” union workers which include control room operators, radiation
protection personnel and emergency response. Both plants are currently
operating at full power. In the event of an emergency, the plants are designed
to safely power down with a minimum of human oversight. But union members
question how long the plants will be able to continue to operate without their
work force.
About 10 p.m. Friday they were all
shuffled in together to wait for
the midnight strike deadline. Managers were still asking questions as
basic as how
to forward phone lines. At this time, no talks are planned between the
entities.
IBEW 97 is also contracted with the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power
Plant
located beside Nine Mile 2. Their contract expires in September. No word
on whether this will have an impact in Wayne County at the Ginna
Nuclear Power Facility.
