NextEra Energy and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 204 announced they've agreed to a three-year contract for workers at the Duane Arnold nuclear plant.
Negotiations affecting unionized workers at the Iowa plant had been extended until the end of the month, and an earlier union vote had authorized a strike, should the talks have broken down.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported the contract approved Wednesday does not include a provision allowing for mandatory overtime – opposed by the union and a key point of contention in the negotiations. The contract includes three yearly pay increases of between 1 and 1.25 percent and no significant change to health benefits.
According to NextEra, the plant employs 600 people during normal operations, which includes both union and non-union workers. The plant operates a single General Electric boiling water reactor 9 miles north of Cedar Rapids.