Morning Briefing - May 03, 2023
Visit Archives | Return to Issue
PDF
Morning Briefing
Article 3 of 5
May 02, 2023

Steelworkers seek labor deal extension for Portsmouth cleanup

By ExchangeMonitor

United Steelworkers Local 1-689 members are still doing nuclear remediation at the Department of Energy Portsmouth Site in Ohio more than a month after their labor deal with Fluor BWXT Portsmouth expired, their union representative said Tuesday.

Negotiations have not gone well so far, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-689 President Herman Potter said during a brief phone conversation with Exchange Monitor. The union’s most recent two-year extension to the contract ended March 29.

“We need some changes to the contract,” Potter said. The ongoing talks will probably produce a one-year extension, he added.

In talks with another contractor, Local 1-689 pushed for reinstatement of workers dismissed for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 during the pandemic. When asked, Potter said COVID reinstatement falls outside the scope of the Fluor-BWXT talks. 

“We are planning to take the COVID terminations to arbitration in August,” Potter said. “We can’t get a resolution otherwise.”

With the labor agreement still in flux, DOE and bidders on a new Portsmouth Site cleanup contract recently agreed offers on a new follow-on contract will remain viable through June 1.

The union supports a smooth transition to the next contractor and a training center for new hires, Potter said, adding about 30% of the USW workforce for Fluor BWXT are age 60 or older.

Fluor BWXT Portsmouth employs about 1,900 union and salaried staff at the Portsmouth Site, according to its website. Roughly 1,050 of those are members of the USW local, Potter said.

Fluor BWXT Portsmouth did not immediately return an email Tuesday seeking comment on the Portsmouth labor situation. 

Comments are closed.

Partner Content
Social Feed

NEW: Via public records request, I’ve been able to confirm reporting today that a warrant has been issued for DOE deputy asst. secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition Sam Brinton for another luggage theft, this time at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid airport. (cc: @EMPublications)

DOE spent fuel lead Brinton accused of second luggage theft.



by @BenjaminSWeiss, confirming today's reports with warrant from Las Vegas Metro PD.

Waste has been Emplaced! 🚮

We have finally begun emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste in Panel 8 of #WIPP.

Read more about the waste emplacement here: https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20221123-2.asp

Load More