One-year Extension of Y-12 Labor Agreement Expected
It appears that a one-year extension of the labor agreement at the Y-12 National Security Complex may be close at hand. Consolidated Nuclear Security, the incoming contractor now in transition at Y-12 and Pantex, has given its approval for a limited extension of the current agreement with the Atomic Trades and Labor Council that’s due to expire in June. It will be up to B&W Y-12, the outgoing contractor, to negotiate the extension with the ATLC, which has previously expressed interest in doing a short-term extension.
The intent is to allow more time for the unions and the new contractor to get to know each other before negotiating a long-term agreement. “We worked with B&W Y-12 on that, and we’re in support of a one-year extension of the ATLC contract, which essentially matches what was done for the MTC [Metal Trades Council] the equivalent unit at Pantex,” Consolidated Nuclear Security President Jim Haynes said. “They were given a one-year extension with a 2 ½ percent increase in pay and a sign-on bonus of $250. So we essentially have agreed—and I think it’s in the negotiation process. We are comfortable with that because it’s treating the ATLC in a fair way and sort of matches up what was done at Pantex, and it creates some stability in a time of change.”
Does Union Favor One-Year Extension?
Steve Jones, president of the ATLC, confirmed that discussions were under way with B&W Y-12 on a contract extension. “We have a proposal,” he said, but declined to discuss the proposed terms of the extension. An extension would require the approval of the rank-and-file at the Oak Ridge plant. Jones previously had he preferred a one-year extension to give more time for negotiating a long-term agreement for the 1,200 hourly workers at Y-12. “We want to get to know the new player,” he said.
Haynes agreed with that sentiment. “Any negotiations is based on people as much as it is issues,” he said. “If you don’t have those relationships built you’re not necessarily going to get the right results. So I think it’s smart [to do an extension] and it gives us a lot of stability. It lowers the anxiety level among the union members, and it also, I think, shows the new organization is not coming in here with one objective and that’s slashing costs.”
No Movement on Five-Year Extension for UT-Battelle
Four months after the Department of Energy confirmed its intent to award another five-year contract to UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2000, there still has been no move to negotiate the deal. But ORNL Director Thom Mason said that’s not a concern because the existing contract doesn’t expire until April 2015. “I don’t think there’s any particular issue or anything,” he said. “The decision has been made to extend. We just have to go through the formal process and signing it.” Mason said he doesn’t expect that to be a problem.
