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The IAM maintains several collective bargaining agreements with the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration covering nuclear technicians, engineers, and operators, as well as a variety of plant maintenance and machining roles.269 IAM members maintain additional nuclear power sites for the Tennessee Valley Authority.270 As an efficient, emissions-free energy source, nuclear power is a vital component of our clean energy future.
Nuclear energy production is also threatened by climate change. Nuclear power plants often use water from nearby rivers as coolant. IAM District 1888 Business Representative Keith McFarland notes that “with climate change, we’ve seen the water temperature in rivers rise.” Those temperature changes can “impact members’ lives,” he notes, by “shutting down plants” or by forcing longer hours to keep plants cool and safe.271 Extreme weather events also pose a growing threat. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found growing risks of “loss of offsite power, damage to systems and equipment, diminished cooling capacity…[and] reduced operations or plant shutdowns.”272 According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), climate models show that nuclear sites along the United States’ Eastern seaboard are “likely to be exposed to sea level rise and severe cyclones with maximum wind speeds and heavy precipitation.”273
273 International Atomic Energy Agency, “Climate Change and Nuclear Power 2022.”
IAM leaders recognize the job creation potential of nuclear power. Federal initiatives to boost clean energy production are incentivizing investment into nuclear infrastructure. Tax credits in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act reward new construction and increased energy production in the nuclear sector.274 There are additional opportunities in statehouses. Climate Jobs Washington, a labor coalition which includes IAM District 751, secured $25 million for nuclear power development in the state’s 2024 budget.275 “We made sure that the millions of dollars in new funding come with strong labor standards that will create family-supporting union jobs throughout our state,” said District 751 President Jon Holden.276
Expanding nuclear capacity as part of a clean energy transition could create new jobs for IAM members. Many IAM leaders are excited about the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs), which can sit on sites not suited to large reactors.277278 At the TVA, multiple IAM locals already train machinists for family-sustaining careers in area power plants. SMRs could be a reliable option for creating new jobs and generating clean power. McFarland, himself a 31-year IAM member hired at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, reports that nuclear expansion is helping IAM grow. “We were just over 300 [members] six years ago when we started with this. Now we’re up to 614 and still growing.”279
IAM member Thomas Bedford Jr., a third generation Machinist and TVA nuclear worker, summed up the union difference in nuclear power: “All this [work] is done with safety and the wellbeing of the community as a priority. I love my job and I’m grateful for it.”280