HMIS, Hanford Guards Union trade barbs over labor dispute

The lockout of unionized guards at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is entering its fourth week with no resolution and both the union and landlord contractor spinning their own narrative on the labor dispute.

Earlier this week, Hanford Guards Union Local 21 President Chris Hall issued a statement saying the reliance by Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) on “a small group of overworked temporary security officers,” hurts public safety in and around the nuclear cleanup site. 

“With winter weather upon us, hazardous road conditions are inevitable, leading to an expected rise in accidents requiring responses from the Hanford Fire Department and local law enforcement,” Hall said in a statement shared with Exchange Monitor. “Traditionally, Hanford Patrol would play a critical role in emergency response, but current staffing levels—drastically reduced due to the lockout—leave the site and the surrounding community vulnerable.” 

“The Hanford Guards Union has repeatedly offered counter proposals, only to be met with refusal and bad-faith negotiations by HMIS,” Hall went on to say. “This planned impasse by HMIS is unacceptable and puts everyone in this community at risk.”

An HMIS spokesperson Thursday dismissed Hall’s characterization of the situation. “It is unfortunate that the HGU [Hanford Guards Union] president has chosen to use community scare tactics to demonstrate the frustration we all share in not reaching agreement on a union contract,” the spokesperson said. “Rest assured that the Hanford Site is safe and secure and HMIS takes this responsibility very seriously.”

Days earlier, the HMIS spokesperson said its Dec. 5 proposal to the union is not likely to get much different.

The proposal voted down by Hanford Guards Union Local 21 earlier this month represented “our best and final offer,” a spokesperson for Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) said Friday.

“HMIS has made concessions during negotiations and the offer we provided on Dec. 5 was our best and final offer,” the spokesperson for the site services contractor said in a statement sent to local media outlets and Exchange Monitor. HMIS also said it lacks authority to modify DOE security requirements.

The two sides agree on 24 of the 28 sections of the contract, the HMIS spokesperson said. Two of the remaining issues include “medical autonomy,” which includes potential future vaccine requirements, and concerns about the federal Human Reliability Program.

The latter is a DOE program to vet the “physical and mental suitability” of people in sensitive security jobs, according to the program’s public webpage. DOE uses “continuous evaluation” to spot those with alcohol or drug abuse issues or “any other condition or circumstance that may be of a security or safety concern.”

“HMIS lacks legal authority to negotiate government mandated requirements,” according to the contractor statement. The contractor team, which also includes Centerra and Parsons, also said the wage increase offered Dec. 5 “would let its federal protective force remain the highest paid in the Department of Energy complex, and also the highest paid security force in our local region.”

The last contract expired Nov. 1 and on Nov. 27 HMIS locked out the Hanford Guards Union members, which make up two thirds of the armed security patrol at the former plutonium production complex.