TVA Consolidating Outage In-processing

[rumrunner]

TVA will soon consolidate all in-processing for outage workers for all three nuclear sites.  Everyone will go to Scottsboro, Alabama, to get their training, medicals, security, etc.  Nothing will be done at SQN, WBN, or BFN as has been done up until present time.  TVA is renovating a spec building at the Scottsboro Industrial Park for this purpose.  The plan is to have it up and running for the 2010 fall outages.  TVA plans to staff the facility with some full-time people augmented by the sites and corporate for peak periods.

[UncaBuffalo]

TVA will soon consolidate all in-processing for outage workers for all three nuclear sites.  Everyone will go to Scottsboro, Alabama, to get their training, medicals, security, etc.  Nothing will be done at SQN, WBN, or BFN as has been done up until present time.  TVA is renovating a spec building at the Scottsboro Industrial Park for this purpose.  The plan is to have it up and running for the 2010 fall outages.  TVA plans to staff the facility with some full-time people augmented by the sites and corporate for peak periods.

Hmm...seems like that would actually slow in-processing down...?  Lots of sites only give you one day to in-process, so now you have to add a travel day?

[rumrunner]

I don't know how they are going to address the travel issues, etc.  I imagine it also adds confusion to who gets per diem and who doesn't while over at Scottsboro.  Personally I am not happy because it hoses me out of a job I've done since I retired from TVA - coming back as a contract trainer to help with in-processing at Browns Ferry.  The word is they will not use any contractors at the new facility.  We had a 2 day in-processing goal this last outage, with an incentive to do on-line check in items. 

[techtoolong]

Commonwealth Edison used to do this and it was a pain in the A_ _ .  A lot of driving and hauling suitcases in and out of hotels and if they have 2 outages at once not enough housing.

[Already Gone]

I don't know how they are going to address the travel issues, etc.  I imagine it also adds confusion to who gets per diem and who doesn't while over at Scottsboro.  Personally I am not happy because it hoses me out of a job I've done since I retired from TVA - coming back as a contract trainer to help with in-processing at Browns Ferry.  The word is they will not use any contractors at the new facility.  We had a 2 day in-processing goal this last outage, with an incentive to do on-line check in items. 

How is the on-line thing going to work?  The majority of outage contract employees are casual hires.  They need to be on the clock while doing their in-processing.  You can't ask an unemployed person to do his in-processing on his own time.  Technically, they would be ineligible for their unemployment benefits for any day that they do a work task - even if they are not getting paid.  Even a full-time employee is going to need to account and bill his time to the task.  How will their training time be accounted for and billed?  Heck!  I'd be happy to do my CBT's at my house at full pay.  It sure beats being 1000 miles from home killing time at the training center waiting for a computer to get free.

[rumrunner]

For the recent BFN outage incentive pay was offered for completing things on-line and on your own time.  'Hard Hat Ready' is what TVA calls it.  You filled out the security paperwork on-line and submitted it, also the craft did their GET on Nantel and either did the exams at BFN or at the union hall with job stewards as proctors (yes, I'm sure that was all above board).  For those of us who came in with Bartlett, we got 16 hours pay for doing this, and then went on the clock at BFN for all the other stuff (medical, RP procedures class, dynamic learning center, etc.).  Craft people worked 14 hour days for free to get all their in-processing done.  Most took 2 days but some longer.  Once they finished they were eligible to get 36 hours pay, so the motivation was to get it done quickly.  It was all done by agreements between the unions, contract companies, and TVA.  However, if someone couldn't hack it they reportedly didn't get a dime.  

We didn't get the 16 hours pay right away though.  It came earlier this week.  TVA didn't pay out until the outage ended.

[Baden77]

I've been doing outages at the three TVA sites since 2007 and have gotten to the point were my check in is normally two very easy days of going through the motions and getting the one or two things I need back up to date.  The inprocessing took about 5-6 hours and most of that was waiting around.  They did not have enough medical personnel and the ones they did have were not familiar with the lay out.  Most of us were waiting for them to find our paperwork only to find it had been mislaid or they could not find the equipment they needed.  After this I still had to report to the site for the site specific training and to await the badge that I'd filled out the paper work for at centeral processing.  That was bad enough but now we're finding out that between the two outages we have to return to the site to pick up our parking sticker and TLD paperwork.  For most of us we'll be arriving in Spring City prior to the monday report date.  So this is a 240 mile round trip to pick up two pieces of paper that can easily be printed on site.  The question that still hasn't been answered is are we going to be compensated for the drive or if it is on us to do it.  With gas at $3.50/gal, that is a hefty price for making a new way of doing things work.

[JustinSimpson]

OK this is an old topic, but im sure people will still be looking this up. The TVA in processing center is up and running, and yes I think it is a complete waste of time and money. If  you are getting your initial PHQ clearance expect to be there 3-10hour days. Here comes the best part. NO they do not pay for your hotel room, or food, or per diem. And I forgot the only pay youll get is $100 for the initial paper work you have to do prior to going there, and 20 hours of straight time. So if your lucky you may break even on your travel and lodging expenses while your there. I have worked in one the most secure nuclear weapons facilities in the world, and I didn't have to go through a 3rd of this mess to get there. If your not familiar with the TVA way, it seems like every year they find at least 20 more pages of paper work they want to drag you through so be prepared

[johnnieslingshot]

Am I understanding this post correctly?  I start my in-processing on the 31st.  There is NO diem being paid by my employer(Bartlette) while I am here?  After spending over $150 in gas to get here, and having to pay for hotel and meals?  And there is no hourly wage for my time here? 

[Already Gone]

OK this is an old topic, but im sure people will still be looking this up. The TVA in processing center is up and running, and yes I think it is a complete waste of time and money. If  you are getting your initial PHQ clearance expect to be there 3-10hour days. Here comes the best part. NO they do not pay for your hotel room, or food, or per diem. And I forgot the only pay youll get is $100 for the initial paper work you have to do prior to going there, and 20 hours of straight time. So if your lucky you may break even on your travel and lodging expenses while your there. I have worked in one the most secure nuclear weapons facilities in the world, and I didn't have to go through a 3rd of this mess to get there. If your not familiar with the TVA way, it seems like every year they find at least 20 more pages of paper work they want to drag you through so be prepared

You need to be a little more specific.  Most of the people who travel to work at TVA plants for outages are not TVA employees.  There are several different employers sending people to TVA outages.  Not all of them are paying as you have described, and TVA does not dictate how we pay our employees.  I guarantee that my employees going to TVA outages will be paid mileage, per diem, travel time, and their regular wage for each and every hour they work.  I will bill for all of that, and it will get paid.

[johnnieslingshot]

Okay .... thank you for the feed-back.  I will follow-up with my employer in the morning.

[Fermi2]

That is one nice facility.