Los Alamos Guards Union Looks to Resume Contract Talks Next Week
NS&D Monitor
5/15/2015
Talks appear set to resume next week on a new collective bargaining agreement for protective force workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, though the union representing the protective force workers is not optimistic an “acceptable” economic package will be reached. The International Guards Union of America Local 69 broke off talks with the lab’s protective force subcontractor, SOC-Los Alamos, last week after accusing the company of negotiating in “bad faith.” On May 13, the union informed SOC-Los Alamos of its intent to resume negotiations on May 19, according to IGUA Local 69 Business Agent Chris Mandril. “Also, we conveyed to SOC-Los Alamos that the Union is not optimistic we can reach an acceptable economic package given SOC-Los Alamos has failed to seek and gain authority to enhance the economic package to meet industry standards, but that the Union is prepared to negotiate through the end of the extension period,” Mandril said in a written response to NS&D Monitor. The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in June.
The union broke off negotiations with SOC-Los Alamos after accusing the subcontractor of falsely claiming to be able to talk directly with the National Nuclear Safety Administration to pursue better retirement benefits—a key issue in the contract negotiations—to help obtain a 60-day extension to the contract negotiations, which the union agreed to on April 23. “The Union temporarily broke off negotiations in order to file a bad-faith labor charge against SOC-Los Alamos and also, to develop an improved negotiation strategy to deal with dishonest and manipulative tactics deployed by SOC-Los Alamos throughout negotiations, which became exceedingly apparent just prior to the walk-out. The Union anticipates that if an agreement is not reached by June 23, 2015, SOC-LA will lock out the Bargaining Unit,” Mandril said.
Late last week, the IGUA local announced that its members had unanimously voted “no confidence” in SOC-Los Alamos’ ability to manage the lab’s security contract. SOC declined to comment on the union’s move this week, citing the ongoing negotiations. The union has said Los Alamos’ guards are not preparing to strike, though Los Alamos has said that it is preparing a contingency force in the event the union and SOC-Los Alamos cannot come to an agreement.
