About half the workers with the Savannah River Site’s security contractor remained on strike this week as the result of failed negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, though traffic conditions at facility entrances affected by the strike had improved, the company said Thursday.
“All barricades except one have been open since last Wednesday and the traffic congestion has dissipated,” Rob Davis, a Centerra-SRS spokesman, wrote in a Thursday email to NS&D Monitor.
About 337 Centerra-SRS employees are represented by the United Professional Pro-Force of Savannah River (UPPSR). Most, though not all, went on strike Aug. 15 after negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement stalled. The old agreement expired in April.
“Site security functions are being maintained by Centerra employees who are not represented by the UPPSR, Protective Force personnel from other DOE locations, and over 40 employees (a number that has increased since the strike began) represented by the UPPSR who are not striking,” Davis wrote. “We are fully confident in the capabilities of the contingency force employees and every one of them is doing an outstanding job.”
According to a press release from the Department of Energy last week, talks on a new collective bargaining agreement with Centerra-SRS continued through the summer. On July 19, Centerra-SRS provided a final offer, which has not been made public.
“On July 31 and August 1, the Union voted to reject Centerra’s proposal and subsequently chose to exercise their right to strike,” DOE wrote in the release.
The strike began at 4 a.m. Aug. 15 and, at least last week, caused some traffic jams near the site.
Centerra-SRS holds a 10-year, $1 billion security contract that expires Oct. 7, 2019. In July, DOE issued a request for information for parties interested in taking the follow-on contract. An industry day was slated for Aug. 14.
