Potential Seabrook lockout

[spongerob27]

Just thought I would share.

SEABROOK — NextEra Energy, owner of Seabrook Station nuclear power plant, has notified 226 Utility Workers Union of America employees they will be locked out if the union doesn't accept a contract by Dec. 2, when its current agreement expires.Speaking for NextEra, Al Griffith said the company has done "everything in our power to try to avoid the situation" of a lockout, but the union has rejected an offer to extend the current contract until Dec. 6 while negotiations continue. He said the union agreed to bring in a federal mediator, who will arrive today and attempt to reconcile the union and NextEra leadership."We've repeatedly asked union leadership to bring our contract proposal to the members for a ratification vote," Griffith said, noting that option has been rejected thus far.UWUA Local 555 President Ted Jenis said he has been in negotiations with NextEra since Sept. 18, and there are three points that have blocked an agreement: wages, the elimination of fire brigade leaders and scheduling.On wages, Jenis said the company is offering a 2 percent increase, "which is not going well with membership."On the second point, Jenis said NextEra is trying to eliminate EMT-certified fire brigade leaders with firefighting experience who organize crews in the case of a fire. NextEra wants to shift that responsibility to nuclear systems operators.Regarding the scheduling issue, Jenis said the company wants to be able to set workers' first and second days off, meaning effectively their weekend could fall on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Workers currently receive overtime pay on Saturdays and Sundays."We recognize the timing is not ideal, given the holidays," Griffith said, adding he hopes the federal mediator will help the two sides reach a swift agreement.Jenis said UWUA represents 226 out of about 650 employees at the station, including all the mechanics and electricians, as well as some nuclear systems operators. Jenis said if the union employees were locked out, supervisors who in some cases "haven't put their hands on a piece of equipment for 20-plus years" would have to fill the roles under them."That's a scary thought in itself," he said.Jenis said there are 31 mechanics in his shop, and without them, "they might end up with 10 people they can find that have any type of background (in that field).""This is a workplace that has been beaten down over the last few years," he said.

[surf50]

Jenis said NextEra is trying to eliminate EMT-certified fire brigade leaders with firefighting experience who organize crews in the case of a fire. NextEra wants to shift that responsibility to nuclear systems operators.Regarding the scheduling issue, Jenis said the company wants to be able to set workers' first and second days off,

The two NextEra plants in Florida have always made the ops guys be the fire brigade leaders, as a mandatory condition of the job. It's not a popular "perk", either.  It saves the company from having to pay professional firefighters to hang around.

As for the scheduling, FPL(sorry, NextEra), has been trying to do this since before I left the fold 8 years ago.
I'm not surprised....