On January 29th, Terry McGoldrick, Bill Phillips along with Exelon Chief Operating Officer David Rhoades, Midwest Operations Sr. Vice President Shane Marik, State Governmental Affairs VP Scott Humbard, and others visited Byron Station. The same group along with Operations Sr. Vice-President Tim Hanley visited Dresden Station on February 1st.
The group visited different departments and discussed potential legislation. After that, they held an All-Hands Call. Employees had the opportunity to ask questions and to hear IBEW15’s and Exelon’s thoughts as we move into the Spring Legislative Session in Illinois.
They informed the workforce that the state has a third party performing an audit of Exelon’s finances at both Byron and Dresden Stations. The State has made it clear they want this audit finalized by April 1st which will provide two months to pass legislation that could save Byron and Dresden Generating Stations from premature closing.
Also discussed was Chris Welch’s election as Speaker of the Illinois State House. IBEW 15 and Speaker Welch have had a great relationship and we view him as a friend of labor.
The Union and Company are meeting weekly on Effects Bargaining in an effort to reach Agreement, should we have to go down that path. The Company announced that they are going to be putting out job postings, in an effort to get people through the testing and interview process. They will not extend any offers until June, when the outcome of the Spring Legislation Session is known.
Altogether, President Terry McGoldrick and Vice President Bill Phillips along with the Company have put on three legislative tours at Dresden Station, three at Byron Station, one at Quad Cities Station.
They also visited Clinton Station with IBEW 51 on February 18th. Workers at Exelon’s Clinton Station, about thirty-five miles south of Bloomington in DeWitt County, are represented by our friends IBEW Local 51.
During his State of the State address on February 17th, Gov. Pritzker said passing legislation that protects the state’s nuclear fleet is a key priority.
“The to-do list is long, but it includes key priorities like … passing an energy bill that protects our nuclear fleet and builds up our wind and solar industries, protects the environment, puts consumers first and supports jobs,”
“There is so much to do, and it’s time to get to work!”