Hanford nuclear guards reject contract proposal. Contractor to order them back to work

RICHLAND – The Department of Energy contractor responsible for security at the Hanford nuclear site in Eastern Washington will order guards back to work after Local 21 members voted down a third proposed agreement, it said Friday evening.

However, representatives of Hanford Guards Union Local 21 said they want to resume negotiations with representatives of Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) on Monday. They have prepared another counteroffer.

It would benefit both sides to come to an agreement that is acceptable to both rather than having an agreement forced on employees, said Dave Donovan, vice president of the International Guards Union of America Regional Council 1 and a Hanford guard.

However, HMIS said in a written statement after the vote count Friday that it believes that collective bargaining negotiations have reached an impasse, and it is ready to require guards to return to work under the terms of its Dec. 5 offer, which it called its “best and final offer.”

HMIS earlier had said that the guards, who are part of the Hanford Patrol, must return to work Thursday, Jan. 2, unless they presented a counteroffer it considers reasonable. Further negotiations led to the Friday Jan. 3 vote.

Now HMIS will notify by mail the guards represented by Local 21 to tell them when they must return to work under the HMIS contract terms, it said Friday evening. Earlier the union said return-to-work dates would likely be Tuesday or Wednesday Jan. 7 or 8.

Local 21 will do what its legal team advises, said Chris Hall, president of the Hanford Guards Union.

The DOE contractor locked out nonmanagement Hanford guards on the day before Thanksgiving as their contract expired.

They have received no pay since then and said in a filing in federal court that the Human Responsibility Program security certifications they are required to have to work as guards at the site are at risk of lapsing during the lockout or have already lapsed.

Once certifications are lost, they are rarely restored, the union said.

HMIS said under its best and final offer the guards would remain the highest paid federal protective force in the DOE complex and would become the region’s highest paid security force.

The contractor said that the wage increase would be the largest in more than 20 years.

The Dec. 5 offer includes increases over the next five years of 6.5%, 5%, 4.5%, 4.5% and 3%, it said.

Local 21 has asked for a wage increase that would total the same but in a time frame that is a half year shorter. It would start with a 10% increase, followed by 4.5% increases, the union said.

The bigger initial increase would be intended to provide compensation for new DOE requirements for the guard since their last contract was negotiated, according to Local 21 officials.

Hanford guards question security

Under new requirements, the personal spending and travel of guards is closely monitored, Donovan said.

Medical autonomy also is an issue for union members after a COVID vaccine mandate during the pandemic.

Union officials said continuing negotiations should be worthwhile for HMIS, because the number of guards accepting the latest proposal increased some with Friday’s vote, although not enough to approve it.

Since guards were locked out, HMIS has been using guards brought in from other DOE sites, Hanford Patrol members who are salaried and not covered by the union, and former Hanford Patrol members to provide security.

HMIS has said that the nuclear site “remains safe and secure, staffed by experienced and qualified exempt security police officers and active security professionals.”

The Hanford Patrol, an armed protective force, provides security for the 580-square-mile site adjacent to Richland.

Duties include protecting radioactive materials and classified materials, providing active shooter response, and deterring and responding to radiological and toxicological sabotage events by terrorists or others.

The Hanford nuclear site produced plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program from World War II through the Cold War. It still has radioactive materials and contamination as environmental cleanup continues.

The number of Hanford guards is not made public for security reasons.

Local 21 officials say the state of security at Hanford under fill-in guards is concerning in light of national events in recent days – the deadly New Years Day attack in New Orleans and the cybertruck explosion in front of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.

They are calling on Washington’s Congressional representatives to support the union in the interest of national security and public safety.