Workers union says report finds fault with nuclear security firm

Washington (Platts)--9Feb2006

A report from the inspector general at the US Dept of Energy found that
security firm Wackenhut has profited from major cost overruns at DOE's Oak
Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, a union for
security officers said Thursday.

     Wackenhut provides security at both complexes, with the security contract
out for bidding, along with another contract out for bidding at the Nevada
Test Site operated by DOE, said the Service Employees International Union.
Decisions about whether Wackenhut will be retained as the security coordinator
at both sites is expected soon, said SEIU, which represents workers in several
fields, including health care, cleaning and security.

     The DOE inspector general report found that there are no contractual
incentives to reduce overtime at Oak Ridge and the Y-12 complex, where
Wackenhut may have received an increase in profit of almost $1-mil in overtime
at Oak Ridge, SEIU said. 

     In addition, SEIU said Wackenhut received unusually high award fees and
high performance scores at Oak Ridge and Y-12 despite several incidents that
compromised security, including not providing the hours of training it
reported to the DOE, discharging live ammunition into a refrigerator, and
sending armed guards to intercept a mock attack team whom they mistakenly
believed to be intruders.

     "This underscores the absence of accountability around nuclear security,"
said Stephen Lerner, director of property services division at SEIU.

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http://nucweek.platts.com.

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