Federalizing the guards

by Frank Munger

The National Nuclear Security Administration is studying the possibility of federalizing guards at the nuclear weapons facilities, including Y-12 in Oak Ridge.
The option has been discussed for many years but never carried out.
In a Nov. 14 memo to guards unions and other stakeholders, William J. Desmond, chief of defense nuclear security for NNSA, acknowledged the study and invited comment on the issues.
The plan is to complete the study by Feb. 1, Desmond said.

Desmond wrote: "The Office of Defense Nuclear Security is conducting a comparative analysis of contractor and Federal security forces to determine whether Federalization of security forces would be a more effective and efficient model to provide tactical response forces in today's threat environment."
Randy Lawson, international president of the International Guards Union of America, who also heads IGUA local in Oak Ridge, was among those who got the memo.

Desmond said the study would address the impact of "one-time, recurring and long-term security police office economic issues," such as wasges, bonuses, medical benefits, retirement plans, income probability and non-wage economic benefits.

"In addition, an assessment of the impacts of strikes in general and the recent 44-day strike at the Pantex Plant is to be included," he wrote.
Systematic Management Services Inc. was hired by NNSA to support the study.

Lawson said the DOE guards units at various sites -- through the National Council of Security Police -- has been collectively working for federalization. He said the group had hired a lobbyist, Gary Hankins, to work on their behalf.

The big issue for security police, Lawson said, is to improve retirement benefits across the DOE complex.
"We've been working through DOE for 20 years by collective bargaining, and it's not been successful," the union chief said.
Added physical-fitness requirements have made it more difficult for security police to meet the traditiional point numbers needed to get full retirement benefits, he said.

"In our recent negotiations, they said there would never be another increase in the defined benefit plan, which they tried to get away from," Lawson said.
Courtney Henry, a spokeswoman at Wackenhut Services in Oak Ridge, sadi the security contractor had not comment on Desmond's letter or the study.
"Basically, from the Wackenhut side, we're just continuing to work every day to protect Oak Ridge. We don't have any comment on studies conducted by the government."

Besides Oak Ridge, Wackenhut is involved in security at the Nevada Test Site and the Savannah River site in South Carolina.
One of the NNSA reasons for federalizing the guards would be to eliminate strikes at the national-security sites.
"That's our sacred cow," Lawson said. "But if they gave a fair retirement . . "
The Project On Government Oversight, often critical of security at NNSA sites, was among the groups that responded to the invitation for comment.

In a Nov. 30 letter to Desmond, Danielle Bryan, the executive director of POGO, said the group had been studying the issues for the past six years. She said it had become increasingly clear that federalizing the guard force is necessary.
Bryan wrote: "I firmly believe that the role of these officers is clearly an inherently governmental function.
Until federalization of the guard force can be accomplished,
DOE should have a complex wide security force contract that provides for a retirement system similar to those enjoyed by Federal Law Enforcement officers.
It is past time to finally take action on this important issue."