NukeWorker Forum
Facility & Company Information => Region III (Mid West) => Zion => Topic started by: tymekeeper on Jul 25, 2012, 03:56
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Word on the street is that the techs at Zion may be looking into organizing. Don't know the particulars, but have heard it at various locations. Anyone know what's going on up there? There isn't much on here from recent activities since Energy Solutions took over.
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Word on the street is that the techs at Zion may be looking into organizing. Don't know the particulars, but have heard it at various locations. Anyone know what's going on up there? There isn't much on here from recent activities since Energy Solutions took over.
That's always turned out well.
:->
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Not so much for contractors but Zionsolutions has " House " techs :)
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In 1981 the Union made Zion such a pleasant place that after a tour of the plant I informed them life is too short to play those games and if I could not use their lunch room, I had worked ten other plants that would, and I left. It was great working at Rancho Seco in January playing volleyball at lunch with the house techs and not sitting in a hallway being snubbed at Zion.
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In 1981 the Union made Zion such a pleasant place that after a tour of the plant I informed them life is too short to play those games and if I could not use their lunch room, I had worked ten other plants that would, and I left. It was great working at Rancho Seco in January playing volleyball at lunch with the house techs and not sitting in a hallway being snubbed at Zion.
I don't think they are talking about THAT union... but here is a reminder of what THAT union accomplished:
In the mid 1990s, Commonwealth Edison, the monopoly electric utility that built and operated many of the nuclear plants that are now owned and operated by Exelon as a merchant plant operator, was having difficulty managing and maintaining its nuclear plants. They were achieving low capacity factors, appearing on Nuclear Regulatory Commission watch lists, and suffering from power struggles between labor unions and management.
Zion, like many of the other Commonwealth Edison units, had issues that culminated in a group of operators resisting management orders and taking off their shirts in the control room. There were some other complicating circumstances, but the bottom line was that the company shut down both units of the plant and decided to keep them shut down. The decision allowed the company to fire or reassign the recalcitrant union members and to establish a more powerful position over the behavior of employees. At the time, replacement power was cheap since natural gas was selling for less than $2.00 per million BTU and since the midwest was shedding much of its manufacturing base, reducing the overall electricity demand.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-09-16/news/9709170048_1_nrc-plant-commonwealth-edison
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/27/us/scathing-report-is-issued-on-illinois-nuclear-utility.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
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Zion, Quad and Dresden were probably the worst union plants in ComEd. The Zion techs would take a liking to you if you proved yourself. The Quad techs were stuck out in BumF#@!$k and always stayed pissed off. The Dresden guys slowly improved as they phased out some of the old salts.
Zion took the cake though with those "No Contractor" signs in certain hallways, cafeterias and bathrooms. ComEd segregation at its finest.
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Mid 90's
Quad's computer password: "radscab"
Dresden had regular PIF reports that there were too many contractors on site and a couple house techs got fired for refusing to take turnover from contractors.
Zion techs didn't want us there because we kept finding rad material outside the RCA.
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I talked to a friend at Zion. They still have Exelon techs there, they are union. They have long ago lost the attitude. Zionsolutions is now the Licensee and Exelon is considered a subcontractor. There are Zionsolution techs , they are considered "House" and Bartlett. It is the ZS techs that want a union. All of the craft is union. A laborer makes more than a ZS tech.
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"Word on the street is that the techs at Zion may be looking into organizing. Don't know the particulars, but have heard it at various locations."
Haven't heard your "techs" rumor :P on any street here in Zion. Doubtful that any more techs here would, uh, "organize". I never worked here in the "good old days" but now I am watching this otherwise workable, 2-unit nuclear power plant being demolished.:( I appreciate the posts here from other users re: the sad history of Zion Plant. Somewhat of a cautionary tale for workers & managers in our industry, eh.
Silver lining: I'm learning about MARSAME on this job. :D
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"Word on the street is that the techs at Zion may be looking into organizing. Don't know the particulars, but have heard it at various locations."
Haven't heard your "techs" rumor :P on any street here in Zion. Doubtful that any more techs here would, uh, "organize". I never worked here in the "good old days" but now I am watching this otherwise workable, 2-unit nuclear power plant being demolished.:( I appreciate the posts here from other users re: the sad history of Zion Plant. Somewhat of a cautionary tale for workers & managers in our industry, eh.
Silver lining: I'm learning about MARSAME on this job. :D
the emoticon tells it all,... 8)
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,34797.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,18812.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,26030.0.html