Pilgrim Workers Contract Expires Tonight

Entergy's contract with 62 tech workers at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant expires at midnight tonight (Wednesday) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is ensuring that the plant is prepared in case of a strike or lockout.

"Because of the possibility of a walkout or lockout, we have completed our review of the company’s strike contingency plans and found them to be acceptable," NRC Public Affairs Officer Neil Sheehan said in an email today. "We have also developed our own contingency plan, which details how we would respond to a strike affecting the site. Enhanced oversight is always an element of our contingency plans."

Entergy and UWUA Local 369 are in negotiations, according to company spokesman Carol Wightman.

The union held a strike authorization vote Monday at the Radisson Plymouth Harbor, at this point it is not known if the union has voted to authorize a strike.

These workers are part of a separate negotiating group from the group that was locked out in June. Entergy and the UWUA engaged in contentious contract negotiations over the summer for nearly 250 employees. In June, Entergy began a lockout of union members that lasted more than a month before an agreement was finally reached in early July.

In September, union president Daniel Hurley said he hoped to avoid another lockout, for both the workers and the safety of the plant.

Entergy and the UWUA engaged in contentious contract negotiations over the summer for nearly 250 employees. In June, Entergy began a lockout of union members that lasted more than a month before an agreement was finally reached in early July.

Check Plymouth Patch for updates on this ongoing story.