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Callaway, Lakeside, Chem
Lab, LD, SWIC |
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Callaway’s “Turn Around” plan has generated a lot of controversy and two unfair labor practice charges in recent weeks. We are seeing a more confrontational approach instead of a collaborative approach. The problem is management feels bargaining with the union is a time-consuming process, and they don’t have the time. So instead of turning around the plant, they are turning the plant upside down. The first Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board deals with the company failing to bargain with the union over the requirement for employees to take their dosimeters home with them. A dosimeter is a device that measures the amount of radiation to which an employee may have been exposed. In the past the dosimeters were left at the plant, and the employees would pick them up each day before starting work. Now an employee is responsible for the device twenty four hours a day. And should they forget the device, they will be disciplined. The NLRB has determined that both charges have merit, and the agency has deferred them to the grievance procedure. Some may think these issues are minor compared to the real issues that got Callaway Plant to an INPO 3 (Institute for Nuclear Power Operations) rating, and they would be right. Our suggestions of what is needed to turn around the plant are very similar to those that some of the company’s outside review committees have pointed out. But they are the tough things, things that will be time consuming and painful for management. Callaway Plant recently rebuilt, re-manned, and renamed its management team. Except for a few new faces, it’s the same people with different titles—the same people that got the plant in the position it is in today. Until they take time out to listen to our ideas and realize we can help, things will only get worse. We know the pressure they’re under from the NRC and INPO. We know the stakes are high. We also know anyone schooled in labor relations will tell you this adversarial approach is not the way to go. |
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Disciplining Lakeside
District Member is Wrong Approach to Safety Two Lakeside District employees as well as two members of IBEW 1439 were recently suspended for allegedly violating the company’s new “Rules to Live By” safety policy. While in Louisiana working to restore power after hurricane Katrina, a Trouble Serviceman Leader and a Trouble Serviceman came across a circuitthat was hot. At the start of the job, their supervisor told the crew the whole area was de-energized. The area they were working in was completely devastated by the storm. There were no lights on in the few buildings left standing, no streetlights on, no sign of power anywhere. After making sure the circuit they were working was dead, they proceeded with their job. While pulling a line across another feeder, a flash occurred. No one on the crew was injured. After an investigation, it was determined the employees violated the company’s safety policy, and they were sent home immediately. (By the way, at last count there were seven safety manuals at Ameren. Which one was violated?) Initially, the employees were supposed to return from New Orleans on their own, but the host utility eventually made sure they made it back home. The suspensions are currently being grieved, so many more details will surface. However, what is definitely known now is discipline has no place in a safety policy. It will just drive safety underground. The company’s knee-jerk reaction to this incident set the safety program back tremendously. The program calls for employee ownership. I look at this as all employees. That includes supervision as well. In order to have an effective safety program, the company is going to have to lead by example. There are numerous steps the company can take to show it is serious about safety. Crews don’t always have the right equipment on the job, or equipment is purchased that isn’t applicable to the safety policy. Jobs are engineered that at times put employees in harm's way. Part of the problem, too, is the way the corporation is structured. With every department in a different business line and everyone worried about their budgets, one has to ask: “Does Stores care if Lakeside has the right material? Does Motor Transportation care if the new trucks are fitted to meet the new safety standards? Does Engineering care when they design jobs that put our members in danger—as long as it’s cheaper? Or, just as important, does first line supervision care if the job is worked safely if it’s going to take longer?” We didn’t get into the present position with regards to safety overnight. And to think we’re going to get out of it overnight by administering discipline is wrong. If suspending these employees was intended to make an example of these individuals, it backfired. What came out of it is a clear indication that the company has a long road ahead if it wants to have a reputable safety program with employee buy-in. Management from top to bottom is going to have to take the lead by doing, by building trust, and showing they are sincere about safety. In the mean time, there are things we can do. As I stated in the past, we must continue to look out for one another. It’s part of our obligation as union members to watch out for our brothers and sisters. And most important, follow all of the safety rules all of the time. |
Union
Files Unfair Labor Practice Charges