ML20212G556
| ML20212G556 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Millstone  |
| Issue date: | 09/08/1997 |
| From: | Bassilakis R, Katz D CITIZENS AWARENESS NETWORK |
| To: | Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20212G536 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9711060227 | |
| Download: ML20212G556 (2) | |
Text
.
Y r -K w-f4= wv # win =/s r g ym
-3
.-y q p-.
a lk
^
iMITIZENS%WARENESS NETwonW
?
~
'$Q. M.shey'snet$omf-can E man.: ca5@ shay's' net.homt
'l
- }
N mat Box 83 SHEt.BURNEfAtt.s, MA 013701_
Jetamons/FAxt;;413-339 8768/8768 giuj CT: 54 OLo TURNMKs ROAD, HAooAM, CT o6438 860 345-8431/8431 VT: clo PO Box 566 PuTury, VT 05345-566 802 387 2646/2667 NH: 7 MEADOW LANt ExtTan, NH 03833 603 772-3439 September 8,1997 The Honorable Shirley Jackson, Chairman US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Re: Retaliation at hiillstone Unit 3
Dear Chairman Jackson:
Last month two contractors from the motor operator valve (hiOV) group at Millstone Unit 3 were retaliated against by Millstone management for expressing their valid concerns with Mr. Kenyon's aggressive restart schedule. These workers were hard working, dedicated and were considered the technical backbone of the g oup. The Citizens Awareness Network is concerned that your agency is relying on Northeast Utilities' internal investigation rather than conducting your own investigation of this very serious event. We are asking that your agency immediately begin its own investigation to determine who in management positions is responsible for the retaliation.
Regardless of Northeast Utilities' handling of the retaliation event, i.e. offering to rehire the workers and forcing the " responsible" managers to resign, there has been a chilling effect, which will linger. In your investigation, your agency must also assess the impact this event has had and continues to have on other Milistone employees.
Three and one half months remain before the commission is scheduled to vote on whether to permit Millstone Unit 3 to restart. This clearly does not allow enough time for Northeast Utilities to develop a comprehensive worker concerns program to counter act the continued retaliation of workers. This is true given the recent retaliation against the two MOV workers, and the reprimand of twenty-two on July 23. The Citizens Awareness Network therefore requests that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission delay the scheduled December 19 commission vote until such a time as Northeast Utilities can demonstrate a changed attitude to protect workers and the public.
t 9711060227 971024 PDR ADOCK 05000423 H
=
a
- Jackson g y
9$97 V Page 2 When the commission does vote, you must consider all retaliation events that have and may still transpire. If workers do not have the ability to express their concerns and have a questioning attitude without fear of retaliation, the safe operation of Millstone will remain unobtaina S!ncere
.s 1
M1 tj Rosemary Bassiht Research Director I r%
Debby Katz President Enclosures Letter from Little Harbor Consultants to the NRC dated August 25,1997 (ITPOP 97-0028)
Article from the New London Day newspaper, September 5,1997, titled "NU Admits Retaliation in Firing of Two Contractors" J
Little Ratbor Consultanu. Inc.
Millstotie. ITPOP Project Omce P.O. Doa 06.10 Niangle. Connecticut 0457-000 Telapsene SH 441 ths,r?.59W Taa 8@-444 5751 August 25,1997 i
meht %( 50141 10d n ITPOP 9h0V48 l
1 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Cutendssiou Attn:DocutnantContof Desk Wacing'. ort.DC 20555 0001 MAlstone Nuclear Powct Stataen, Unit Nos.1,2, Wuj j On August 29,1997, IJhtle Harbor Coccultants. Inc. (LHC) met with Nottbeas t
- ccrgy Co;mpt.ay (NNEco) tnanagement and representatives of de NR l
gathered doneg thu structured!Attrviews 06educted at de SGllstonc staticti ju hin Tbc adonnation 11ertain8d to ' pockets'in the M112stonc orgerdaation which had b d d cnc or incre intetviewees u beleg the location of n 'thillieg offecf, et which had beca coeu e by ote. or tsore hiervicwees to have intimidcing or h a recent.diktnissel of two contractor) esshtued to the MOV group at Millstone.
With regnrd to "$wket6 UIC infattled inacagement of fourtccu orgaalzational entit which had been luentioned in the context described above. LHC advae fourteen eatiues had eleo been irnplicated in one or more Urnployee Concerts Prosnm (E whie.h were reviewert by 1.HC In the counc of our ECP imMetncatation cri ique. L!lt advised t
NNEco tiiat de lufuttuition was nut validated,11:lbat LHC has tint.deine any further inve of those ceganizational ecttdes to deteanbo the accuracy of the hearinenn Managcm to une de J HC loput in conjunction me otherintstudon to test tbe sudit./ of the charactethab and take actwo where approprt*"
WLt regard to the "chhling etreet, LHC advised NNEco of the status of the inveulgati LHCinterdewed atotalof 30 indniduals associa4cd wit the MOV cht,19 persms in the Dedg Ensseensa Group, and the others fraca managemenusupervtston, Techni:a1 Support, and the two contractors criginally tettuinste=t for cause. LHC determined that there hn been a i,
t t
m e
rN
e
.. r U.S.Wd6af Regulatory Ce %f HL..
ainst former ass nem.
4 i
Page 3,ITPpP 97 0028 The terminatiora of the two contrw: tos (29)
J.
dh
- tbesiew tat other eroploytes who have questiono t e ev (18) of currant MOV rurugement will also be terminated.
4 l li innMd the The belief that the tcrtulaation ofone of the corntsetor h the nbility to use er 1'
abillty of the orgacization to dst a pards'.tlar scIndivid proaram eEcetively. (22) d ) bil}tytG Thebelief thM theloss of the 5tcond contract t
()
addren another s!gnl/icaot prnhf em within the depampent. 18 d.'
l A bthef that the precedurec arcinsubicat to ptovide the nt J ll f dequate.
to the Fogram Sotne enginerrs felt tbt dm procedures arc tech 7!
others are not sure. (15)
A t>etter that the prescut schedule is virtuaby impossible to em d iff rnoetag the schedule wi!! tequire release ofincumplete calsulation pa 8.
rsautt in substantial rewotk and/or CR's being written. (18)
The belief that the kbedde Lt drivig the procou at en apeme of quallty a product. (17) lRC also advised hWEco snanagecient that our lovestigation ci*possible reta C
i l
i:
to the disantesis wa.utclundetway, that.w wodd be overpoing the NNECo E P inves h
d nons the diensnata nnd that we wnukt have the resuhn of thost, actidt]ct and r.3y furt er reco in the v'ery near future.
[
Ver7 truly years, V.J lohn W. Deck I
President, LHC Team L:v. der, TTPOP cc: Distribution i
4 4
i l
i
~
'@ @ ID at e
',EPTEMBER 5,1997, NEW LONDON f
SERVING EASTERN CONNECTICUT SINCE 1881
~
NU admits retaliation in firinoD of 2 contractors Utilit extends offer
"" "*d ' h "", " " "" " v ' "' ' ' " '
'"'" ' 'h"a m' de ra""*"' Th"'h" work at Millstone and the manager and contractor has moved on to a job else-to both to go to work supervisor responsible for the firings where, he said, have resigned.
The Nu announcement followed an in.
"We will not tolerate retallation of any vestigation by the plant's Employee Con.
By PAUL CHOINIERE kind," 13:uce D. Kenyon, president anc cerns Program. The company, citing per-D,iy Stati Writer chief executive officer of the nuclear pro-sonnel privacy restrictions, did not re-gram, said in a prepared statement.
lease the names of any of those involved, waterford - Northeast Utilities admit-Iticinrd J. Gallagher, a NU spokesman, The contractors weir retaliated against ted Thursday that the recent firing of two said one of the workers has accepted the for challenging decisions made by man-contractors at Millstone 3 was a case of offer to return to Millstone. Gallagher agers in the motor crerated valve depart-trtallation.The two11 red individuals have,,said he was unsure whether he will re.
ment. Mrkers in the department told in.
vestigators that the schedule to check and calibrate the valves was too aggressive.
not leaving enough time to do the job properly The company is pushing hard to get regulatory approval to restan Millstone 3, which, like the other two plants at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, are shut down because of regulatory violations.
Company critics were not satisfied with Su UTILITY parc A5 i cf 3
l [/.
I\\"
s 1
. 4 % -- bt! p $ -
h,
/
NitC reilew possible
/
Diane P.Screnci, a NRC spokei woman, said cases cf retaliation h6 volving senior management ate viesved more seriously than actions taken by lower level management..
Serenet said the NRC would review the results of the internalinvestiga-tion conducted by NU before decid-ing whether to conduct its own re-view.
A reactor accident is possible if motor operated valves are not func1 tioning properly. They are also criti.
col to the emergency back up sys tems at nuclear plants.
Workers in the department told Little liarbor they were not being given enough time to properly evalu-ste and calibrate the valves. On Tuesday the company announced:
that NRC intpntions scheduled for Oct. 21 had been pushed back 10 days to Nov.1,in large part because more '
time was needed for the valve work:'
Michael Brothers, the NU vice*
president directing the Millstone 3-restart effort, said the retaliation is?
sue posed a " critical test" for man <
agement. The company had to demonstrate to workers that they must never fear speaking up and that retallation against employees who question management willnot te tole crated.
Brothers said the company needed-to act swiftly and not wait for the re.
Durbig the meeting, Millstone otti-cials provided an update on the step, sults of the Little liarbor review.
"We have to have the courage of.
being taken to improve the program.
our convictions and do what we feel.
The program is designed to assist is just and appropriate," Brothen; those employees who do not feel com.
said.
fortable with raising a problem to The quick action could prove em.
their supervisor, or who are not sat-barrassing, however, if the Little isfied with how their problem was
!! arbor review naches different con; handled.
clusions and points the finger of Little liarbor Consultants an-blame in different directions. Broth nounced in May that it had found ers said NU has not ruled out amend.
several significant ficws in the Em-ing its disciplinary actions in light of ployee Concerns Program. The pro-Little liarbor's findings, but' he gram did not do a good job of deter-mining the root causes of the prob,
called that unlikely.
A Mhlitone employee who attend.
lems it investigated. Its personnel ed Thursday's meeting, Nuclear, were poorly trained and reconikeep-Safety Officer Gerald Reardon,said ing was inadequate. The consultant,-
the retallatory actions taken against also found those who used the pro-the workers in the motor operated.
gram wem obn dissatisfied with the.
valve department hase made others :
results.
reluctant to speak up. lie said the re."
Edward Morgan, who directs thtr tallation was so reminiscent of the*
- program, announced several "old NU" that he questioned whether.
changes to improve performance.
Beck, the Little liarbor paesident,'
anything has changed.
If the actions were indicative'of said the ultimate test is whether the the way the plants will be operated.:
program is effective in weeding out harassment and getting problems ad-
"then we should walk away fmm this,
- dressed, enterprise and go out of business /
said Redrawn, who has bumped "Our focus more and more will be heads with management over his taking a close look at that bottom line," Beck said.
whistleblowing activities.
The afternoon announcement fol' lowed a morning meeting that fo-msed on the Employee Concern'i Program.
~-b$