A Community Safety Forum will be held Wednesday morning at the American Museum of Science and Energy, beginning at 8 a.m.
The two-hour forum is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership, a coalition of government agencies, contractors, labor unions and other parties in the community.
The theme of Wednesday’s event is “Safety Culture: It’s a Community Thing.” Continue reading
Consolidated Nuclear Security, the government’s managing contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, confirmed that 10 workers had been laid off by the CNS construction organization.
Those impacted reportedly included 3 pipefitters, 3 carpenters, 3 insulators and an operator. First word of the layoffs came from a construction worker, who questioned why CNS said over the weekend that current issues with a funding imbalance would not likely result in any layoffs. Continue reading
The newly named Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health will advise the Secretary of Labor on technical issues pertaining to the government’s compensation program for sick nuclear workers.
Garry Whitley, former president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council in Oak Ridge, has been named a board member representing the claimant community. The advisory board’s first meeting is scheduled for April 26-28 in Washington, D.C., and it will be open to the public.
Here’s the full list of board members: Continue reading
As noted in an earlier post, Atomic Trades and Labor Council President Steve Jones is retiring, and Mike Thompson will become the new leader of the umbrella labor group in January. Other officers, who were elected by acclamation last week, are Wayne Bolinger (Chemical Workers) as Vice President for ORNL; Eric Nolan (Insulators) as VP for Y-12; Steve Passmore (Machinists) Recording Secretary; and Doug Harrill (Electricians) Secretary/Treasurer.
With freshly negotiated labor contracts in place at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, it’s a new era, and there’s a changing of the guard at the Atomic Trades and Labor Council.
Steve Jones, president of the ATLC for the past five years, is retiring — effective in January. Mike Thompson, a Teamster by trade and a long-time player in Oak Ridge union affairs, will succeed Jones in the top slot at the umbrella labor organization that represents more than a dozen unions at the government plants.
The recent negotiations with UT-Battelle at ORNL and Consolidated Nuclear Security at Y-12 were perhaps the crowning point of Jones’ career, and he expressed his gratitude last week at a meeting of union delegates who elected the new leadership team for the ATLC. Continue reading
Key labor officials in Oak Ridge will speak at a community safety forum Wednesday morning (Dec. 16) at the American Museum of Science & Energy. The topic is “Site Safety Culture.” The event is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership. Continue reading
Union workers at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant on Thursday ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, which includes a 3 percent wage increase in each of the contract’s five years and a one-time $2,500 signing bonus. Continue reading
Shawn Estepp, a 13-year electrician at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, signs the union roster Thursday afternoon as he gets ready to vote on whether to ratify a new five-year labor agreement. Below, Jerry Waterson, a 40-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, emerges from the voting booth after casting his ballot. At right is Kimberly Mitchell of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council staff. (KNS photos/Frank Munger)
Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, Y-12 workers stood in line to vote on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. Two voting booths were set up inside the Machinists Union Hall in Oak Ridge. Inside the booth, as illustrated in the photo below, there was only one choice to be made — yes or no. (KNS photos/Frank Munger)
The Atomic Trades and Labor Council, which represents about 1,100 union workers at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, has reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract.
The ATLC reached the tentative pact with Consolidated Nuclear Security — the government’s managing contractor at Y-12 — after four weeks of negotiations. Continue reading
The main entrance at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. (KNS photo/Michael Patrick)
Steve Jones, president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, said union negotiators will meet with their counterparts at Consolidated Nuclear Security — the government’s managing contractor — later this week (Wednesday) to work on ground rules, etc. for upcoming negotiations on a new labor contract at Y-12.
Actual negotiations are set to begin next Monday. Continue reading
Union workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Wednesday ratified a new five-year labor contract that will provide them with a 14 percent wage increase over the life of the agreement.
Steve Jones, the president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, which represents 13 unions at ORNL, confirmed the ratification vote this evening. Continue reading
A tentative agreement was announced today between the Metal Trades Council and Consolidated Nuclear Security, perhaps setting the stage for the end of a strike by more than 1,100 workers at the Pantex nuclear weapons plant.
Workers at the nation’s warhead assembly/disassembly center have been on strike since late August. The rank and file of the Metal Trades Council, which represents 10 unions at Pantex, will vote Sunday whether to ratify the proposed agreement with CNS — the government’s managing contractor.
According to the announcement from the unions, highlights of the proposed contract include “improved medical coverage with controlled out-of-pocket medical costs and contained premium increases for current and future employees; maintenance of the defined benefit pension plan for current employees; maintained sick leave earnings and bank; and improved short-term disability benefits.” Continue reading