Hanford Workers Try To Unionize

Backers of a move to unionize thousands of white-collar workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation hope to achieve their goal by December.

Supporters want to organize under the Office and Professional Employees International Union before the expiration of 60-day layoff notices that are scheduled to be issued Tuesday at Hanford.

About 4,200 Hanford jobs have already been cut this year because of federal budget cuts, reducing the site’s total employment to about 14,000.

“This will have to be one of the quicker campaigns,” Michael Richards, a union organizer, told workers at an informational meeting Monday.

If the union gets “show of interest” cards back from 30 percent of the workers, it can file a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board and a secret ballot will be scheduled. The union would have to get 51 percent of the votes to win.

Initially, the union is targeting professional, clerical and nonbargaining workers from Westinghouse Hanford Co. and the federal contractor’s partners, ICF Kaiser Hanford Co. and Boeing Computer Services.