Nine Mile Point
/ file photo
SCRIBA -- Union workers at the two Nine Mile Point nuclear power plants in Scriba say they will strike after rejecting Constellation Energy’s latest contract proposal.
Ted Skerpon, president and business manager of IBEW Local 97, tells CNY Central that the union went to a meeting requested by Constellation Energy Nuclear Group Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. At the meeting, the union says the company presented a contract proposal which the union rejected. The company says that was their final offer, and will implement the contract at midnight.
Skerpon says because of this action, the union will strike for the first time. 560 members who perform a range of jobs from control room operators to radiation monitors to maintenance electricians will walk off of their jobs at midnight when the existing contract expires. The plants employ approximately 1,000.
Constellation spokesperson Jill Lyon said Thursday that the company bargained in good faith with a goal of achieving a contract that properly balances the needs of employees and the company. Lyon says the company believes it put a fair offer on the table.
"Constellation velieves we've put a fair and equitable offer on the table" says Lyon.
Last week, union members voted yes to the possibility of a strike, and Constellation has said that it is prepared for that possibility.
"We don't want a work stoppage," Lyon says, "but we're prepared for that possibility because our top priority is to run these plants safely."
A contingency plan was developed as part of standard preparations during the negotiations. The plan involves putting management and non-union employees into the positions that would be vacated due to a strike. Lyon says those workers have received all the necessary training to do those jobs safely, and have been shadowing the positions over the past week.
When contacted for comment Friday morning, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it hadn't heard yet that a strike will take place. Spokesperson Diane Screnci tells CNY Central that the NRC did conduct an inspection of company's strike contingency plan to determine if public health and safety can be maintained, and the plan is sufficient to do that.
The NRC says it will increase its monitoring of the plants, especially in the first 48 hours after the strike begins.
Lyon says Constellation is aware of the public's concern about potential safety issues.
"We do understand that our neighbors and community members may be concerned, but we want to let them know that we would not do anything to jeopardize our ability to safely run the facility," Lyon said Friday afternoon.
Skerpon says the main reason for the union's rejection of the contract offer was the reduction in pension benefits for future retirees.
Lyon says no new meetings have been scheduled, but Constellation will honor its obligation to continue negotiations.
We want to know your opinion on this story. Should nuclear plant workers be allowed to strike? Or are their jobs too important to walk away from? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
