Hearing Draws Union Support

Union members who attended the Feb. 12 public hearing received Costco gift cards in return for their support of restarting the San Onofre nuclear plant. A person who saw them at the hearing emailed, “Many of the ‘workers’ were also wearing baseball caps with the logo of SCE's primary contractor at San Onofre, Shaw Stone & Webster, and carrying ‘goodie bags’ from Shaw. Did Shaw Stone & Webster pay union officials to have bodies present at that meeting?”

An article written by Amita Sharma was published by KPBS Public Broadcasting, http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/feb/15/san-diego-trade-union-members-attend-public-meetin/#c18111

San Diego Union Members Attend San Onofre Hearing For Costco Gift Cards
Feb. 15, 2013

Dozens of union members showed up at this week’s public meeting supporting a plan to restart San Onofre nuclear plant. And they did it after receiving Costco gift cards in exchange.

Members of the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council traveled in buses to the Dana Point meeting Tuesday. Several encouraged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow Southern California Edison to restart San Onofre.

The plant was shut down one year ago after a tube rupture caused a small radioactive leak.

Tom Lemmon, the business manager of the trades council, told the NRC panel, “At the end of the day, we’re going to be safe. The workers are going to be safe. If there’s a way to get the plant up and running, let’s do it expeditiously.”

Lemmon said later this week that the union paid for the Costco gift cards for members who attended the public meeting at San Onofre. He declined to answer why they were given or what they were worth, saying he wanted to speak with lawyers first.

Lemmon did not return subsequent calls.