Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant Workers to Strike?

The collective bargaining agreement for union workers at the local nuclear power plant will soon expire, and federal officials say they are preparing for a possible strike.

Nuclear Regulator Commission Public Affairs Officer Neil Sheehan said the contract between NextEra Energy, the owners of Seabrook Station, and the Utility Workers of America Local 555 will expire at midnight on Dec. 2 should no agreement be ratified before then.

Should a strike or walkout happen over the contract — which Sheehan said operations, maintenance, chemistry and radiation safety personnel at the plant — then the NRC "has or will take in conjunction with the situation" in the following ways, according to a statement from Sheehan:

• The NRC would closely monitor operations during a strike to ensure that the plant continues to operate safely and in accordance with federal regulations.
• If a strike occurs, inspectors from the NRC Region I Office would supplement our two Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant on a full-time basis to provide increased oversight. This enhanced oversight would include 24-hour-a-day coverage for at least the first 48 hours of a walkout and enhanced coverage for the duration of a strike.
• The NRC has performed an inspection of NextEra’s strike contingency plans. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the adequacy of the company’s plans, which cover areas that include staffing. No issues or concerns have been identified to date.

NextEra is still in the process of securing a lengthy and preemptive 20-year license renewal. Various concrete degradation issues have mandated various measures be corrected and taken.

Negotiations on the union's contract are "continuing," and a federal mediator was scheduled to enter the talks Wednesday, according to Sheehan.

"We are not able to characterize the talks other than to say our hope is that a resolution can be achieved before a strike occurs," he said. "If that is not possible, we will keep a close watch on plant operations to ensure they remain safe for the duration of any walkout."

Sheehan, who has been with the NRC for 17 years, also said he has no knowledge about any previous contract expirations or strikes at Seabrook Station.

No "operational problems," according to Sheehan, occurred during two recent strikes at other nearby power plants, including one at the Pilgrim plant in Massachusetts and one at the Nine Mile Point plant in upstate New York.