Incinerator workers vote no for union

By Rob Jordan
Star Staff Writer
08-10-2004

By a margin of more than two to one, workers at the Anniston chemical weapons incinerator rejected unionization in voting Sunday and Monday. Of 283 eligible employees, 182 voted against unionizing while 82 voted in favor, according to officials with the Army’s site contractor Westinghouse-Anniston and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Officials with the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency responsible for administering the vote, could not be reached for comment Monday night. Officials with Westinghouse-Anniston and General Physics, the Army’s site contractors, declined to comment Monday. If the vote had gone the other way, the IBEW and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry Local 498 would have represented the majority of workers in collective bargaining with Army contractors. Jason Ashley, a control room operator who voted against the initiative, said workers at the plant are well paid and well taken care of by management. "The unions can’t do anything for us," Ashley said. He said he would have considered unionization if management problems had led to significant safety issues. As it is, he said, the facility is the safest he has ever worked at. A disappointed employee, who asked that his name be withheld, said he had hoped unions would bring better healthcare benefits and alter what he considers a disciplinary system tainted by favoritism. He and Ashley said they had been required to attend several meetings during work hours in which consultants encouraged them to reject unionization. The consultants warned them about lower wages and high dues under unions, employees said. Rick Tira, an IBEW representative, questioned why workers on a government contract were required to attend anti-union meetings while union organizers were not allowed to enter the highly secure facility. Lee Johnson of the IBEW wondered why, after 72 percent of eligible workers approved a vote, so many voted against unionization. He questioned whether workers had been intimidated by recent company meetings. The Army’s Umatilla, Ore. incinerator is the only unionized chemical demilitarization facility of eight nationwide. Contact Rob Jordan at rjordan@annistonstar.com or 235-3552.

About Rob Jordan

Rob Jordan covers criminal justice issues for The Star.