Wackenhut to be Dropped as Security Contractor at Pilgrim Nuclear Plant
By PR Newswire
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The Pilgrim plant was the subject of a special investigation by Time magazine last summer which reported multiple security problems. Entergy cancelled Wackenhut's contract at the Indian Point nuclear power plant near New York City in 2003 after an internal investigation uncovered numerous security problems.
Wackenhut, a wholly-owned subsidiary of London-based Group 4 Securicor, receives an estimated 12% of its total revenue from the nuclear power industry where it is the largest security contractor.
Entergy announced plans to drop Wackenhut at Pilgrim in the midst of a labor dispute with more than 100 security officers represented by United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA). Pilgrim guards have been working for more than 6 months without a contract, and had unanimously authorized a strike vote as Wackenhut sought to remove a provision that guarantees that officers receive at least two days in a row off work each week. Security officers at Pilgrim worked "thousands of hours of overtime last year," according to a UGSOA official who added, "Wackenhut is trying to trim the time-off allowed for guards who are already working more overtime than ever." Pilgrim security officers expressed concern over Wackenhut's plan to require workers taking bereavement leave to show proof that they actually attended a funeral.
Excessive overtime has been linked to inadequate preparedness and performance of security forces.
According to an Entergy spokesman, dropping Wackenhut and taking the work in-house, will "reduce turnover, improve morale, and hopefully be in the best interests of both the company and the employees." He added that the move would make the job more attractive and encourage more long-term employment by offering Entergy's benefits, such as a pension.
"By dropping Wackenhut, Entergy shows that raising standards for security officers is a matter of necessity in a post-9/11 world," said Stephen Lerner, Director of Property Services of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's largest security officers' union. "No matter how much money is spent on fences and weapons by companies like Entergy, Wackenhut's low-road approach and disrespect for its officers undermines security at our nation's most sensitive sites."
Last year Time magazine reported allegations by Kathy Davidson, who said Wackenhut fired her as the chief guard trainer at Pilgrim for complaining about poor security at the plant. Davidson alleged that mock attackers succeeded in 28 of 29 drills designed to show how well the guards could defend the plant from terrorist attacks. "Security at the plant is pathetic," she told Time.
Wackenhut guards nearly half the nation's commercial nuclear power plants and many highly sensitive nuclear weapons sites where there have been numerous security problems. News of Entergy's plans to remove Wackenhut at Pilgrim directly follows reports that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed to fine Florida Power & Light (FP&L) for a violation of security requirements at Wackenhut-guarded Seabrook Station nuclear power plant in New Hampshire, marking the fourth NRC investigation into security performance at Wackenhut-guarded nuclear plants this year.
Entergy's announcement drew reaction from the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) whose reports on Wackenhut document a "failure to train employees adequately and the practice of keeping them on duty for long shifts." "They have some terrible problems," POGO's Peter Stockton said of Wackenhut in an interview with the Boston Globe.
Wackenhut's wholly owned subsidiary, Wackenhut Services, Inc. is facing an investigation concerning falsification of training records at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation, according to the DOE Inspector General. A conviction or civil judgment for falsification of training records may be ground for suspension or debarment of contracts under the U.S. government's federal acquisitions regulations.
Entergy cancelled Wackenhut's contract at Indian Point #2 nuclear facility, 35 miles north of New York City, and took security back in- house in 2003 after conducting an internal investigation into Wackenhut's performance. The findings of Entergy's internal investigation of Wackenhut were leaked to the public; it found:
- Only one in five Wackenhut security officers felt prepared to defend the plant.
- Wackenhut presented false information to plant management who was conducting a government-ordered investigation into whether employees could freely report safety concerns.
- Employee allegations that Wackenhut created a "chilled environment" around the company's administration, personnel, discipline, and general program management. Of those who raised issues to management, only 42% stated that those issues were adequately addressed and 12% believed that Wackenhut retaliated against security officers for raising concerns or making suggestions.
- Substantiated claims of sexual harassment "brought little apparent disciplinary action and certainly did not result in termination." Officers reported that Wackenhut managers ordered them to write their concerns on plain white sheets of paper instead of official Information. Reports, a method, Entergy reported, that "can lead to the loss of concerns/complaints and could also be easily abused." When the Entergy investigator sought to review the investigations and discipline records relating to sexual harassment complaints, the Wackenhut manager told him he does not maintain a central log, and that the materials could not be located.
- Physical agility training was "extremely lax."
- Guards were allowed to take their weapons qualifying exams multiple times so they could pass.
- Security officer attrition was nearly 20%, compared to approximately 1% at the adjacent Indian Point #3 plant, where security was performed by in-house employees.
