Here is what is going on (quoted from email sent by a Nine Mile Point SRO):
The Union wanted a better deal than what the company wanted to give for the senior pension fund (aka transition group). There are two groups, the transition group and the cash balance group. The transition group is mostly the senior personnel usually 25+ years tenure. The cash balance folks were convinced by union leadership and the negotiating committee to stick to their brotherhood and vote against the proposed "bad deal" because the "company always has another offer in their back pocket." The company did not make another offer and the junior guys have since regretted it, several have already quit.
The Management personnel are running the plant and performing the maintenance. The strike contingency plan has been in place for a year or more, so the company was more than well prepared for a strike. The shifts are staffed by SROs in all positions except the Fire Brigade, which is manned by personnel who were trained to perform these duties. There are 4 crews, four days on, four days off, with personnel currently sequestered during their time on. There are enough SROs to support other activities including the maintenance groups, work control, and the corrective action program. Work is going around the clock and there is already a significant dent in the maintenance backlog (ala Oyster Creek). Some activities have been deferred but not many. People are paid 1.5 time once they go over 40 hours of work and being paid to spend the night/day while off shift. The management folks are making a ton of money (especially those who do not get paid overtime) but the company is actually saving a ton of money. On top of that, sympathetic strikers from other unions are supporting the picket line and creating several disruptions, including beating on peoples' cars with picket signs, dressing in black and walking out into traffic to slow them down, etc. Law enforcement is providing support as necessary. The local news doesn't even seem to care much about it, there have only been occasional reports.
The Union is making a ton of public statements about "two weeks of job shodowing being inadequate" and the safety of the plants is in jeopardy because of the "lack of experience" but the reality is most personnel have pretty much moved back to their old jobs and are fairly proficient, including chemistry and RP, etc. The union also has lost some credibility by picketing immediately outside the gate, not outside the 10 mile radius, where one could be reasonably assured of safe distance from nuclear disaster. A lot of them are picketing with their families as well. The union really doesn't look too good right now, especially since the NRC reported that their two day inspection shows that only "properly trained operators are running the facility."
