A labor dispute at the Pilgrim nuclear plant may be headed to the National Labor Relations Board after the Utility Workers of America Local 369 filed a complaint with the federal body.
In what plant owner Entergy describes as contingency staffing, and what the union calls a lockout, about 250 union workers have been off the job since June 5 following extended negotiations and the end of a temporary contract extension. In a release over the weekend, the union said it filed a complaint with the NLRB protesting Entergy’s changing retirement and health benefits, changing shift rotations without notice and making video recordings of picketing workers. It also alleged the company made coercive statements and failed to respond to information requests.
In a statement, the company said it “continues to be ready to resume discussions with union leadership under the guidance of the mediator. The company believes the federal mediation process is the success path to a contract that will enable employees to come back to work, which has been the goal throughout this process.”
Entergy noted that about two-thirds of the plant’s workforce is still on the job, with employees from across the company’s reactor fleet filling the other positions.