HANFORD TANK FARMS WORKERS APPROVE NEW CONTRACT

Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council workers for Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions approved a collective bargaining agreement late last week by a vote of 290 to 239. The 650 workers had been given a choice of approving the proposed agreement or giving their authorization to proceed to a possible strike. It was the third proposal considered by workers. Most recently, on Oct. 9, workers turned down the same proposal, but with a $1,000 one-time payment as an incentive to ratify the agreement by Oct. 11. Workers at four other Hanford contractors voted to approve the agreement Oct. 9. “It’s a bittersweet victory,” said Dave Molnaa, HAMTC president. “We would have preferred a better contract. But we’ve got a contract and we are going to conduct business.” WRPS said in a statement that it was pleased with the collective bargaining agreement approval and thanked the bargaining teams on both sides for their diligence and professionalism in negotiations.  

After the failed vote in October, HAMTC proposed changes to the offer, including eliminating mandatory overtime and including a $2,500 signing bonus since no wage increase was offered for 2012. WRPS rejected those changes and came back with a proposed agreement with no guaranteed 40-hour work week, no provisions for Hanford-wide seniority and the ability to contract out HAMTC-certified work at will, according to HAMTC. Getting the Oct. 9 agreement back took persuasion, but HAMTC had no choice in order to preserve “extremely crucial historical contract previsions,” Molnaa said in the letter. Among the provisions of the agreement approved by workers late last week is mandatory overtime, reduction in pension benefits for some workers and no traditional pension program for new hires, although they could participate in a 401(k) plan. It would increase wage rates 2 percent for each of three years.