Sep. 11--WADSWORTH -- About 40 employees of the South Texas Project protested for safer working conditions and higher salaries for union members on Friday.

The peaceful protest was outside the main gate of the nuclear plant near Bay City.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local union No. 66, whose membership includes about 300 of the plant's 1,200 employees, stood along Farm-to-Market Road 521 holding signs and waving to passersby as a way to influence negotiations underway between the union and company.

Charlie Nelson, business representative with the union, said their intent was to realign the negotiations, which have been going on for more than four months.

"The negotiations are at a semi-stalemate over several issues," he said. "One of our main issues deals with what's called 'reactor entry at power,' where we actually go inside the dome where the power is generated."

Nelson said workers are sent in for routine maintenance way too often.

"If there's priority work that needs to be fixed, these people don't mind going in there," he said. "But, doing just regular day-to-day work, we feel, puts extra and unnecessary radiation doses on these employees. Really, there is no protective clothing you can wear that can fully protect you, unless you can get inside a lead suit."

The group also wants higher pay for the union workers.

"This site is the top producer of electricity for a two-unit site in the country and has been for the last five years," he said.

"They've won more awards than any other nuclear plant. These two units last year ranked number one and number three in electric generation and ninth and 11th globally of the 439 in the world."

Nelson said the union workers deserve a pay raise. He didn't say how much of an increase was requested.

Buddy Eller, STP director of communications and public affairs, said both sides of the negotiation process have worked really hard and a real collaborative approach had been used.

"We went out and looked at other energy companies, nuclear companies and industry leaders with union representations and our proposal was extremely competitive nationally," he said. "We feel the total compensation package we offered was one of, if not the best in the industry."

Eller said the company was disappointed with the union's tactic of using informational picketing.

STP will continue to bargain in good faith while working toward a proposal that is both fair and competitive.

The labor union is the only active union at the site, Eller said.

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