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I am honored to be here, and I feel privileged to serve as a speaker substituting for IBEW International President Ed Hill, who was unable to be here. Ed Hill is one of the most visionary and progressive leaders in the American labor movement. I know President Hill is a big supporter of the nuclear power industry. So is the Metal Trades Department. And let me tell you, it has not always been easy or popular to be pro-nuclear. That is how you can tell who your true friends are: they stand with you when you are down and on hard times—like our friends in Louisiana and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They are down on hard times right now, but we are working and standing with them. Soon they will be back up on their feet and on their way back to recovery.

The nuclear industry has an established reputation as a responsible union employer. As the industry expands to meet the growing demand for a cleaner alternative to carbon-based fuels, the industry and its work force will be put to the test.

Can we adapt the best practices and work together to build and run the facilities America is going to need in the coming decades?

Can we avoid the failed relationships and dead ends that plague so many other American industries and cloud labor relations?

I’m betting that we can.

Let’s keep it simple. Labor needs three things to make this relationship work:

• First, a mutual commitment to fair treatment. That means both labor and management living up to the letter and the spirit of contracts.
• Second, we will need investment in training not just new workers, but also incumbent workers.
• Third, as the industry moves ahead, the workers will need to move ahead along with you. With the investment you will make in recruitment and training, we are certain you do not want a disposable work force.

Three simple principles.