Locked-out Hanford site guards to vote on contract. Employer demands they return to work

KENNEWICK – The Hanford guards will vote on a new contract proposal Friday after their employer said they must present a counteroffer it considers reasonable or return to work Thursday under the terms of the last offer made to the union.

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, the Department of Energy contractor for services such as security at the Hanford nuclear site, locked out nonmanagement Hanford guards on the day before Thanksgiving as their Local 21 contract expired.

They are receiving no pay and their Human Responsibility Program certifications are at risk of lapsing during the lockout, Hanford Guards Union Local 21 said in a filing in federal court.

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

The Hanford guards have twice voted down HMIS proposals and declined another vote on the grounds that it had already voted on the same proposal, said Dave Donovan, vice president of the International Guards Union of America Regional Council 1 and a Hanford guard.

In turn, Hanford Guards Union Local 21 made five contract proposals to HMIS in December, each with progressively reduced terms, all of which HMIS rejected, Donovan said.

The last one considered in negotiations with a mediator this week and rejected by HMIS was similar to HMIS’ latest offer, but would shorten the proposed contract length from 4½ years to four years, Donovan said.

“The appearance of good faith bargaining on their part is not there,” Donovan said.

“They are not bargaining with us.”

The latest HMIS proposal the Hanford will vote on is also similar to what HMIS called its “best and final” offer earlier this month, but allows new hires a wage increase sooner, according to the union.

The Hanford guards have been bargaining for increased pay; additional pay for certain shifts, such as night shifts; and for medical autonomy after a COVID vaccine mandate during the pandemic.

The guards have made no progress on the shift differential pay or medical autonomy, according to the union.

The guards, part of the Hanford Patrol, want to go back to work but to continue negotiations, Donovan said.

If they approve the HMIS contract proposal Friday, they will go back to work Sunday. If they reject it, they are expected to return to work Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the union.

Since 5:30 a.m. Nov. 27, HMIS has been using workers 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 professional.” No retired Hanford Patrol members have been brought back into service, it said.

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 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 patrol also staffs secure entrances to the site and aids the Hanford Fire Department, including controlling accident scenes and providing first response services in medical emergencies until fire department staff arrive.

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

Union wants certification protection

Local 21 has asked U.S. Judge Stanley Bastian for an emergency order protecting the Human Responsibility Program certifications of its members.

The lockout has deprived union members of both the procedures for maintaining their certification, either for Hanford or for jobs elsewhere, and associated due process, the court filing said.

HMIS said pausing the processing of security clearance actions is a standard practice for personnel not in active working status, regardless of the cause.

The union expects a ruling on the emergency order by Thursday.

There are also several open complaints pending before the federal labor board concerning HMIS and the Hanford guards.