[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16133-16134]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           CONFLICT RESOLUTION AT PLUM ISLAND RESEARCH CENTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I am joined here today by my colleague, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci), of the Second Congressional 
District of New York. I, of course, represent the Second Congressional 
District in Connecticut. We share a common border that runs right down 
the center of Long Island Sound. Located in the center of Long Island 
Sound is the Plum Island Research Center, an activity of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture which, for 50 years, has been engaged in very 
sensitive scientific research into animal diseases. This is a very 
sensitive and very important activity, especially now, especially now 
when issues of bioterrorism raise the question as to whether America's 
food supply is safe.
  It is against this backdrop of national security and against this 
backdrop of Long Island Sound, a very precious and important 
environmental asset, that I rise today to make my remarks in support of 
the Operating Engineers Local 30 of the AFL-CIO which, for the first 
time in 50 years, the first time in 50 years, has gone out on strike 
against the Plum Island facility.
  These workers have been without a contract for 11 months. The last 
offer that they got from the civilian contractor degraded their pay and 
their benefits dramatically for the third time in the last 10 years. 
Finally, in desperation, with no other alternative available to them, 
they have gone out on strike. All they are asking for, all they are 
asking for at this point to go back to work is binding arbitration; 
binding arbitration. How difficult is that? How serious a request is 
that? Binding arbitration.
  Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. SIMMONS. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for sharing this time 
with me, and we will continue this dialogue in the next 5 minutes as 
well, but I do want to join in with my colleague, the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Simmons). I represent the First Congressional District 
of New York where Plum Island is indeed housed. I share with him his 
passion for our workers, the men and the women who make up Local 30 of 
the Operating Engineers. Indeed, they do have a legitimate gripe 
against LL&B, the managing entity for Plum Island. We are talking about

[[Page 16134]]

being 50 cents apart that would bring conclusion to this strike, that 
would bring conclusion to them being without a contract for 11 months.
  As I said to those in the Department of Agriculture and as I said to 
those in the White House, and as I said to those who manage LL&B, we 
have a much bigger picture here than just the 75 employees that are at 
Plum Island who I care for very deeply; we also have the whole issue of 
our homeland defense. As Plum Island moves out from under the umbrella 
of the Department of Agriculture and is hoped to be a part of homeland 
defense, we must make sure that the employees are treated fairly and 
are treated equally as they were before the switch into homeland 
defense. I said to those folks, make sure that you do not jeopardize 
the intent of the President to have a homeland defense that has indeed 
incorporated Plum Island into it, because if you do not treat our 
employees properly, if you do not treat them with the respect that they 
deserve, if you do not treat them fairly, I cannot support it, and you 
will be held responsible, LL&B, for the actions taken by you against a 
number of people who are only asking for an increase of 50 cents 
towards their medical portion of their health care costs.
  I know that the gentleman from Connecticut shares with me not only 
the concerns for the employees and the scientists, but that very 
precious body of water that lies between Connecticut and Long Island, 
which is the Long Island Sound, and we have been working together on a 
number of those issues like bringing $11 million back to help purify 
and clean that pristine body of water. But today we are here to talk 
about the employees of Plum Island.
  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. It 
is always a pleasure to work with him across district lines, across 
State lines, but for the common good and for a common purpose.
  The interesting thing about Plum Island is that over the 50 years of 
its sensitive and secure research, there have not been any significant 
accidents or issues that might concern us, but the question has to be 
raised: If all of the operating engineers, the people that operate the 
boats, the people that operate the water systems, the people that 
operate the incinerators and the air-conditioning systems of this 
sensitive biological research facility are taken off the island and are 
not there because of this strike, the people who are licensed to 
operate all of these facilities are not there and we bring in outside 
workers from other facilities around the country, which bear no 
relationship to this kind of research, what risks exist? I realize that 
the managers say everything is great, everything is fine. I do not 
believe it. I think that there is a security issue that we have to be 
concerned about. I think that the sensitive mission that takes place 
out there is being disrupted because of the strike, and it is over a 
few nickels and dimes of health benefits and health care.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a ridiculous situation for us to be in, when 
this body has authorized and appropriated literally billions of dollars 
in the fight against international terrorism and yet we are 
shortchanging reliable, honest, decent workers right here at home, 
right out there on Plum Island.
  Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Speaker, I agree wholeheartedly with all of the 
comments and associate myself to them of the gentleman from 
Connecticut. One of the things that is hard for other people to 
understand is that when you look at the cost of living on Long Island 
and certainly out in that region, it is very costly, and to bring this 
to conclusion would be the right thing.

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