HAMTC Workers Reject New Contract Offer From PNNL
WC Monitor
9/5/2014
Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council workers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal by Battelle in a vote late this week. The total was 186 workers opposed and 11 workers in favor of the proposed five-year contract. “This certainly sends a clear message to Battelle their employees don’t believe their offer is fair,” said Dave Molnaa, HAMTC president. HAMTC will work on its proposal since it is clear workers did not like Battelle’s proposal, Molnaa said. HAMTC put the Battelle proposal to a vote, but its negotiators advised the approximately 240 HAMTC workers at the national lab to reject the offer.
Battelle is disappointed in the outcome of the vote, said Battelle spokeswoman Susan Bauer. “But now that it is in we want to get back to discussions as soon as possible,” she said. “We expect to come together with HAMTC representatives within a few days.” Battelle will continue to work toward an agreement that is competitive in the marketplace, rewards staff and makes good use of taxpayer money, she said.
Lab Proposal Included No Wage Increase For Three Years, Benefits Changes
The rejected proposal would have provided no wage increase, including no cost of living increase, for the first three years of the contract, according to HAMTC. In the next two years of the proposed contract, wages would increase by at least 1.5 percent each year if Battelle and HAMTC reached agreement then on health insurance. Battelle said before the vote that wages for HAMTC workers at PNNL were well above the local market and average 1 to 6 percent above wages paid by Hanford contractors. Wages are 13 percent to 23 percent higher than at Battelle-operated national laboratories in Long Island, N.Y.; Tennessee and Idaho, said Battelle spokesman Greg Koller. Molnaa said that the proposed wage freeze would drop pay below those offered by Hanford contractors. PNNL wages cannot be reasonably compared with those at other sites because different states and communities have different regulations and costs of living, Molnaa said.
The proposal would have moved HAMTC workers to the same pension and retirement savings plans offered to the approximately 4,000 nonunion employees at PNNL. HAMTC workers at the national lab now are under the Hanford pension plan. HAMTC workers at PNNL would see reduced pension benefits and have to work longer to collect retirement benefits under the proposal, according to HAMTC. HAMTC also said that workers would have to contribute more to a 401(k) retirement savings plan to receive a lower match than they receive now. Battelle said before the vote that at a time when many companies were freezing pension plans or not offering them, Battelle was proposing a defined pension plan paid for entirely by Battelle as well as a 401(k) savings plan with a company match.
The proposal also included a one-time signing bonus of $7,500 in lieu of wage increases. Some workers nearing retirement would not be given the bonus, but would continue to accrue retirement benefits at the current level.
