The following article was published in the Fall 2024 issue of USW@Work.
Anita Bevins is part of five generations of family who have worked at the Portsmouth nuclear site in southern Ohio.
For nearly 35 years, Bevins has worked at the site operating cranes and has trained hundreds of workers on crane operation. She works alongside two of her children, two grandchildren and two sons-in-law who are also employed at the plant.
As she looks forward to retirement, Bevins credits the facility with helping to protect U.S. national security, to ensure energy independence, and to build a strong, secure future for herself, her loved ones and her community.
“It has helped me raise my children,” said Bevins, one of about 900 members of Local 689 who are part of six units spread across the sprawling 3,777-acre site in Piketon, about 70 miles south of Columbus.
Local 689 is one of seven local unions that are part of the USW’s Atomic Energy Workers Council (AEWC), which represents a total of about 3,000 members.
Barry Sexton is one of the longest-tenured USW members at the Portsmouth site. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he joined a work-study program and now has been at the site for more than 45 years.
“Talk about luck,” he said.
Herman Potter, president of Local 689, himself a second-generation atomic worker, noted that the site is among the largest employers in the region and, thanks to the USW-negotiated wages and benefits, also one of the best places to work.
Focus on the Future
That is unlikely to change any time soon, especially now that the site is home to a project that represents the future of U.S. nuclear energy.
A year ago, Centrus Energy, one of a half-dozen contractors that employs USW members at the federally owned Portsmouth site, launched the first new U.S.-owned and operated uranium enrichment production in 70 years.
Inside one of the two identical, massive buildings designed to house the project are a series of tall white cylindrical towers, each containing centrifuges that produce the enriched uranium that will power the next generation of nuclear reactors. Today, there are 16 towers, but hundreds more are expected to fill the space over the next two years.
“We are looking years down the road to make sure we remain here,” said Potter. “We are going to need more people, and we’re going to need to train them.”
Because that training and the necessary security clearances take roughly 18 months to complete, and the company expects to hire as many as 500 people by 2027, Potter said, the search for new workers is already getting underway, and the union is exploring the possibility of establishing a regional training center at the local hall.
Potter credits the local union’s strength in part to its relationship with political leaders, including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Sen. Rob Portman, who invited Potter to be a guest at the State of the Union address in 2016. The Ohio legislators, he said, helped ensure the site would have a strong future.
The expansion in Portsmouth comes with increases in federal funding and the strong support of the Biden-Harris administration, which has earmarked $2.7 billion in funding to establish a reliable domestic supply of fuel for the nuclear power industry, part of the White House’s stated goal of achieving energy independence and generating 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035.
In July, USW Atomic Energy Workers Council President Jim Key, who also serves as an appointee to the U.S. Department of Labor Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker’s Health, witnessed President Joe Biden sign into law theAccelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (A.D.V.A.N.C.E.) Act.
The bipartisan bill sets forth provisions to incentivize the development and deployment of domestically produced advanced nuclear fuel technologies and to clean up hazardous land. Key expects the new law will help bring scores of valuable new union jobs to the atomic sector, including the Portsmouth site.
USW District 1 Director Donnie Blatt, who oversees the union’s work throughout Ohio, said the proud USW members at Portsmouth are eager to grow their local as more jobs come to the area.
"Portsmouth has been vital to our nation’s atomic energy, and our USW members are key to its future,” said Blatt. “With the new uranium enrichment project, we're not just creating jobs – we're ensuring energy independence and economic growth for our community. Our members' dedication and skill will continue to drive this critical work forward."
For America, By Americans
The promise of a strong future for the atomic industry is good news for USW members and others in the region, who rely on the ripple effect of the good jobs at Portsmouth to fuel the local economy.
“It’s promising,” said Delbert Reisinger, who has worked at the site for 16 years. “It feels good to know we’re using American technology to make a product for Americans.”
Reisinger said he’s noticed an uptick in small business activity and other economic growth in the area since the new uranium enrichment work began, and that he expects the growth to continue as the site expands.
“We’re ready,” he said. “We’ve proven it time and time again.”
Aaron Howard, a chemical operator at the site and daytime union steward, said that the future of the plant will be critical for sustaining the community long-term.
Piketon’s population hovers at around just 2,000, and while many who work at the plant commute in from surrounding towns, it is by far the largest employer in the area.
“We’re talking about a large economic influx of thousands of jobs,” said Howard. “It means a lot for the people here.”
Matt Snider, manager of the new centrifuge plant, said he was thankful for the company’s strong working relationship with the USW.
“Centrus is proud to be leading the effort to restore American leadership in uranium enrichment, and grateful for the USW members in our Piketon plant who are making it happen,” Snider said.
Health and Safety Essential
The new uranium enrichment project at Portsmouth is, in a way, a throwback to the past for a work site that for 45 years was home to a gaseous diffusion plant that enriched uranium – first for use in the nation’s nuclear weapons program and, later, for commercial nuclear reactors. Those operations ended in 2001, and for the past three decades, USW members have performed complex decontamination and decommissioning work there.
Fluor-BWXT, the contractor that oversees the decommissioning, custodial, plant protection and other work at the site, is the largest employer of USW members in Portsmouth, with about 650 on its payroll.
Greg Wilkett, site manager for the company, said the most important aspect of his work with the union is ensuring that everyone goes home safe at the end of their shift.
“You don’t get that unless you have a great partnership,” Wilkett said. “We have a common interest.”
Sam Carver said wages and benefits are a small part of what USW membership provides to the workers in Portsmouth. Having a strong voice on the job, particularly on issues of health and safety, is essential, he said.
“It’s about knowing that they have your back,” Carver said. “We know that when we bring something up, they’re not going to take it lightly.”
Phil Budnik, a unit president and safety representative, said the membership works closely with management at the site on a number of issues, including safety and ensuring adequate funding from the federal government.
“We are good at protecting our work force,” said Budnik, who served in a management role at a previous job. “It has given me perspective.”
USW members in Portsmouth also have found opportunities to change direction in their careers. Paige Cisco, a second-generation atomic worker, began working at the Portsmouth site during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a janitor, and for the past three years has worked in process operations.
Cisco quickly became a leader within her local, stepping up to become unit president, a full-time safety representative, a sergeant-at-arms and a worker-trainer who now travels around the country providing Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) trainings for fellow USW members.
Cisco’s mother, who also worked as a process operator at the site, now works with the Worker Health Protection Program through New York’s Queens College, which partners with the USW, the Department of Energy and other agencies to offer free health evaluations to atomic workers for conditions related to radiation, asbestos, beryllium, noise, solvents, and other potential exposures.
Cisco attended the USW’s Health, Safety and Environment conference held in August, where she and other USW members in the nuclear sector had the chance to discuss their health and safety concerns in a special session for atomic workers.
“I care about our health and safety at Portsmouth because it’s personal for me,” said Cisco, whose father suffered from three different cancers while employed at the site in Piketon. “The people I work with aren’t just my coworkers – they are my family.”
Trent Smith has worked at the Portsmouth site for 31 years doing a variety of jobs. For Smith, the strong connection he feels with co-workers and the members of his community make it a special place to work and live.
“There’s a brotherhood. There’s no denying that,” he said of his USW siblings. “They are the community in my eyes.”
Legacy of Innovation
As the Portsmouth site evolves, it stays grounded in its rich legacy while embracing a promising future.
“The new uranium enrichment project marks a pivotal step forward, ensuring that Portsmouth remains at the forefront of America’s nuclear energy future,” said International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who oversees bargaining in the USW’s atomic sector. “This enduring partnership between USW members, industry, and community honors our history while building a brighter future for the nation.”