Entergy, union reach tentative agreement in Indian Point labor negotiations

Entergy Corp., the owner and operator of Indian Point Energy Center, has reached a tentative agreement with a union representing 330 of the plant’s workers.

Entergy announced this morning that the company had reached a tentative four-year collective bargaining agreement with Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 negotiators. The union represents about a third of the Buchanan nuclear plant’s workforce, including operations, radiation protection, chemistry and maintenance workers.

The deal still requires ratification from the union, with a vote expected to take place within the next few weeks.

The deal comes nearly two weeks after union members voted to authorize union president James T. Slevin to call a strike if necessary. While Slevin said the “outlook was bleak” at times in the negotiations, the two sides were able to reach an agreement shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“It has been a grueling pace for more than a week of around-the-clock talks with Entergy to come to a tentative agreement for our members who work at Indian Point,” Slevin said in a statement posted on the union’s website. “We believe it is a contract that we can present to the members that will take them to 2022.”

The deal would expire one year after Indian Point’s two nuclear reactors will be shut down. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, an Entergy spokesperson said Tuesday the company had offered union members during negotiations a guarantee of no layoffs until after the plant’s permanent shutdown.

Tony Vitale, site vice president and Entergy”™s top official at Indian Point, said the “agreement benefits all parties ”“ the workers, the union and Entergy.”

He added, “all of our employees will continue to focus on their mission to provide reliable power to millions of New Yorkers through the date of permanent closure in 2021.”