Nuclear Power Construction Labor Agreement

Nuclear Power Construction Labor Agreement

Through clear and standardized language, these uniform conditions generate efficiency gains that lead to direct benefits for nuclear power plants in the form of reduced costs and a more harmonious and productive construction site. Many factories prefer GPPMA or NMA and make one of these agreements a requirement in their offering. National agreements have also been beneficial to the construction industry and helped it maintain a long-term presence in the construction and maintenance markets. Through a committee appointed by the 14 general presidents, North American construction unions work with unionized contractors to attract construction sites across the country. These maintenance contracts currently cover 301 projects in 34 states involving 118 contractors. A good example is construction industry initiatives such as the Nuclear Mechanical Apprenticeship Process (NMAP), a method developed through tripartite collaboration between plant owners, contractors and the construction industry to ensure that mechanical craftsmen have the skills and training required to meet performance and quality standards for nuclear power plant projects. With representatives of the three groups involved in this type of program, they begin to develop mutual respect, which ultimately leads to better results when working in an official capacity. Communication is essential to deliver the greatest value when contracting with workers for maintenance and construction projects. The owner, contractor and workforce must be coordinated and share common goals and objectives in order to achieve project excellence. This means that the contractor must communicate with the workforce at all levels, including the project`s craft managers, local hall managers, regional construction professional councils, and the international leaders of each union.

Communication must be done in a way that meets the needs of the plant project and establishes long-term productive relationships. Productive working relationships require positive working relationships. It all starts with effective communication. APLs are widely used in the private sector. Companies such as Toyota, Exelon Corporation and Southern Company use this tool to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality construction projects. NABTU and its subsidiaries strongly believe that the federal government should be able to use the same tools used in the private sector to deliver high-quality construction projects. As the number of unionized and non-unionized artisans continues to decline, the nuclear energy industry must rely heavily on strategic partners to find a skilled and efficient workforce. Especially when it comes to unionized workers, contractors with close ties to North American construction unions will be in the best position to provide factories with the labour and services they need, while managing complex labour relations. The Vogtle 3 and 4 units will be the first Gen III+ advanced units to be built in the United States and are currently the only new nuclear units under construction in the country. There is no doubt that the implementation of the three “Cs” can be challenging, given that projects in the nuclear industry come with a variety of complexities and requirements. It takes time to build relationships of trust between all parties.

Once achieved, however, the benefits present themselves for owners, entrepreneurs and craftsmen. The National Construction Agreement aims to promote the efficiency of all construction processes. ensure the peaceful settlement of artisanal labour disputes without strikes or lockouts; and promote the rapid and cost-effective completion of the project. The agreement provides for standard working conditions; creates an instrument to maintain harmonious working relationships within the project; and ensures optimal productivity and eliminates various factors that contribute to construction delays. A project employment contract (PLA) is a pre-employment collective agreement that sets out the terms and conditions of employment for one or more construction projects. PLA was first used in major public works projects of the 1930s, such as the Hoover Dam. Since then, many large and complex projects, both public and private, have been successfully built in the United States using the PLA model, such as the Kitsap Naval Base, the Cove Point LNG Export Terminal, LAX Airport, the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge and each of Toyota Motor Corporation`s North American production facilities. To ensure that all parties have a clear understanding of expectations before starting a project, it is important to use national working arrangements such as the General Presidents` Project Maintenance Agreement (GPPMA) and the National Maintenance Agreement (NMA) to promote efficiency in the use of professionals. These first-rate employment contracts use uniform conditions that are the same for all building craftsmen on the construction site. Uniform conditions for management rights, trade union rights, working hours, overtime, holidays, pay days, safety rules, etc. eliminates confusion.

Another important feature of the GPPMA and NMA that is attractive to contractors and owners is the prohibition of strikes, lockouts or work stoppages. The two new entities represent a $16 billion capital investment in Georgia. At its peak, the project will create approximately 6,000 unionized jobs for construction workers before it goes live in 2021 (Unit 3) and 2022 (Unit 4). A project employment contract (PLA) is a pre-employment collective agreement that sets out the terms and conditions of employment for one or more construction projects and was first used in major public works projects in the 1930s. Grand Coulee Dam, Hoover Dam and Shasta Dam – all built with PLA. The simple solution to these complex construction projects was to place all workers under a single framework contract that applied only to the specific project. Since then, dozens of large, complex projects, both public and private, have been or are being successfully built or maintained across the country using the PLA model, such as Kitsap Naval Base, Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant, Hanford Nuclear Site, LAX Airport, Limerick Power Plant and Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement. The Nuclear Mechanical Apprenticeship Process (NMAP) is a cost-effective approach aimed at providing adequate assurance that the personnel of craftsmen`s unions in nuclear engineering projects possess the required basic knowledge and skills: (1) perform a set of basic trade-specific tasks without additional training or testing, and (2) successfully enter and complete a task-specific training process for Utilities, if need be. The NMAP is a method of documenting that the requirements for the training of knowledge and skills at the entry level have been met by contracted craft staff on an individual basis.

From building nuclear power plants from scratch to maintenance and shutdown, LIUNA members work in the nuclear industry in the United States and Canada. LIUNA members are also helping to build the first nuclear power plant built in the last 30 years – the Vogtle power plant in Georgia. Nuclear power generates about 20% of the energy consumed in the United States without emitting greenhouse gases or causing air pollution. Nuclear power is an integral part of a balanced approach to energy policy “all of the above,” and LIUNA believes that expanding our country`s nuclear capacity can help meet our energy needs and create good jobs, as well as address the threat of global warming. But how do they build good union relations and, more importantly, how will they be maintained in the coming years? Ultimately, building these relationships comes down to three “Cs”: communication, collaboration, and clarity. There is no strong evidence that LPAs reduce the number of bidders for a project or increase the cost of construction projects. In fact, the effective management of these projects has saved taxpayers and investors billions of dollars. As a result, construction users increasingly prefer APLs because they reduce some of the uncertainty that exists in large construction projects. Timely construction of projects requires a significant number of workers in many trades who have skills and qualifications that are crucial to their completion.

LPAs ensure a level playing field for unionized and non-unionized contractors, ensuring a steady flow of highly skilled construction workers. The positive impact of a trained workforce goes beyond the integrity of the project and also has a positive impact on the safety culture at the site. .