Nuclear site guards file to end Hanford lockout. Security clearances, careers in jeopardy
Hanford Guards Union Local 21 is asking a federal court for an injunction to halt a month-long lockout and prevent its members from losing their security clearances and certifications they need to do their jobs.
The suit claims locking out union members also locks them out of their ability to maintain and renew HRP certifications, “which is the functional equivalent of imposing the career death penalty.”
Chris Hall, president of the Hanford Guards Union, said at least one member has been terminated after his clearance and DOE Human Responsibility Program (HRP) certifications expired.
A hearing is scheduled Thursday, Dec. 26, before Judge Stanley Bastian in U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington.
The filed its complaint Dec. 20 against Hanford site manager Brian Vance and Hanford Mission Integration Services. No response had been filed as of Christmas Eve.
The Department of Energy contractor locked guards out on Nov. 27 after a third contract extension expired. Guards are not on strike but have conducted early-morning informational pickets near the site.
Top secret clearances and HRP certifications go hand-in-hand.
Hall said the union warned that HMIS risked losing guards over certification lapses at the start of the lockout. A guard who has unpaid bills sent to collections because they are prevented from working could lose their security clearance, he said.
HRP certifications are rarely restored, the union said in its complaint.
“The standard of review is exacting, such that ‘the Administrative Judge shall ensure that any doubt as to the individual’s certification shall be resolved against the individual in favor of national security and/or safety.”
On the day of the lockout, the union complained to the National Labor Relations Board and said HMIS was refusing to bargain or was bargaining in bad faith.
HMIS said that it has negotiated in good faith, but lacks legal authority to negotiate government mandated requirements.
Union members began losing health insurance coverage a week later.
The two sides continue to negotiate over medical issues and arbitration.
The federal complaint says the lockout puts national security and the area around the Hanford site at risk by removing qualified and credentialed guards from the Hanford site.
“The Employer has replaced these (guards) with a dangerously unqualified and understaffed crew cobbled together from a pool of retirees,” the complaint said.
HMIS previously said it brought in workers from other sites, Hanford Patrol members who are salaried and not covered by the union and former Hanford Patrol members.
This story was originally published December 24, 2024 at 4:37 PM.