Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
9/18/2015
A federal mediation agency on Wednesday announced it will intervene in the ongoing strike by Pantex Plant workers represented by the Metal Trades Council, which reached its 22nd day today. Neither site contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security nor MTC requested the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to step in, and the agency typically stays removed from disputes unless asked, but FMCS Director Allison Beck said in a statement that the seriousness of the matter called for third-party action. “While FMCS has been monitoring the situation closely and mediation is normally a completely voluntary process, we cannot stand by and let this critical nuclear weapons facility continue to experience a work stoppage. In the absence of the parties scheduling a session on their own, it is our obligation to extend every effort to help the parties bridge their differences,” Beck said. The Texas facility assembles and disassembles nuclear weapons. Beck has asked FMCS Deputy Director Scot Beckenbaugh, who she called an experienced mediator of “complex disputes,” to intervene. “It is our intention to convene a meeting under the auspices of FMCS at a time and a location that can be agreed upon by the parties,” Beck said. No date has been set for the first FMCS-mediated meeting.
CNS said it welcomes FMCS’ planned intervention. “CNS fully supports the engagement of a federal mediator to assist both parties in achieving a fair and equitable agreement,” company spokesman George Rangel said via email. “In the meantime, Pantex continues safe and stable operations.” An FMCS spokesman declined to comment on the matter, because the agency doesn’t talk about ongoing cases. MTC this week also did not respond to requests for comment.
But according to an MTC press release, council leaders are cautiously optimistic that the outside action could help both parties hammer out a deal. “I’m pleased that the FMCS has stepped in to assist us in these negotiations,” said Ron Ault, president of AFL-CIO’s Metal Trades Department, which oversees the Amarillo, Texas, branch of MTC. “These workers deserve a fair and equitable contract that includes benefits commensurate with the service they provide our nation.” Eighty-seven percent of voting unionized workers at Pantex on Aug. 28 voted to strike and reject a “best and revised final offer” from CNS, which followed more than seven months of contract negotiations and rejection of the original “best and final offer” early last month. Approximately 1,100 of the 3,000 employees in Pantex’s general workforce are striking.
