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Silence clause aims to keep Turkey Point workers quiet

Silence clause aims to keep Turkey Point workers quiet Miami Herald BY JOHN DORSCHNER 13 March 09

Licensed nuclear operators at Turkey Point sit at control panels staring at meters that generally don’t do much. For this, they can earn up to $150,000 a year, including plentiful overtime, plus another $50,000 or so in bonuses. So why complain about their bosses at Florida Power & Light?

”The work atmosphere there is horrible,” says Thomas Saporito, a Turkey Point worker who was fired in 1988 but has stayed in touch with many workers since then. “No one wants to work at the plant because of the retaliatory atmosphere there. People are afraid to make complaints about safety.”

Nuclear operator complaints generally are made public only in public documents, such as lawsuits involving overtime or bonuses. Virtually all operators are reluctant to talk to journalists.

One reason is that many signed bonus agreements in which they promise not to say anything bad: ”The employee shall not, at any time in the future and in any way . . . make any statements that may be derogatory or detrimental to the company’s good name,” was the way it was phrased in the contract of David Hoffman.

Silence clause aims to keep Turkey Point workers quiet – Business – MiamiHerald.com

March 13, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA