Pilgrim union workers vote to accept Entergy's latest offer

Workers hope to return to work soon after a month-long lockout

The members of the Utility Workers of America Local 369 voted today to accept the latest contract offered to them by Entergy, the owners of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth.  The initial contract offered by Entergy was rejected by workers on June 22 due to cuts in healthcare benefits. 

The nuclear power plant workers have been locked out and have been picketing the facility since June 5. 

A rally at the State House in Boston was organized for June 19th, then canceled when Entergy presented the first offer. When that offer was rejected, the rally was rescheduled and held on June 28.

In addition to having been locked out without pay, Entergy canceled health benefits for the picketing workers on June 30.

On today's contract agreement, Dan Hurley, president of the Utility Workers of America Local 369 released the following statement:

We are pleased that our workers have voted to accept Entergy’s latest contract offer. These have been lengthy and difficult negotiations for our workers, who have been locked out of their jobs for over a month and without medical coverage since the beginning of July. Entergy began negotiations with demands for major concessions on healthcare, retirement, salary and staffing, and we fought hard to emerge with important protections for the hardworking men and women who safely run Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant on a daily basis and make the plant extremely profitable for management.  Now is the time for us to move forward and our workers are looking forward to returning to their jobs this week.

The union has not commented on unrelated charges brought against Entergy and filed with the National Labor Relations Board.  Entergy managers have been accused of making "coercive and threatening" statements to workers prior to an early contract vote. They have also accused the security workers hired by Entergy of attempting to intimidate picketers outside the Plymouth plant by video and audio taping them.