The company that owns the Palisades Nuclear Plant near South Haven wants a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit against it.
Twenty-two security supervisors claim they’re owed years of overtime pay.
In court documents, lawyers for Entergy admit “some or all” of the workers have put in overtime. But they say those workers don’t qualify for overtime under the law.
They also say some of the claims fall outside the statute of limitations. The workers claim the company owes them pay back to 2007, when Entergy bought the power plant.
The company said it couldn’t comment on the lawsuit, but forwarded a written statement:
“Regardless of the eventual outcome, Entergy is committed to safely, securely and reliably operating Palisades. Entergy always strives to create a fair, equitable and safe work environment for all of our employees, and the company remains committed to this objective.”
The Palisades security supervisors filed the suit in December 2014 after a judge in Vermont ruled in a similar case in September.
There, the judge found Entergy “willfully” violated workers' right to overtime pay. Entergy asked for a new trial. But court documents show this month, a judge denied Entergy’s request.
Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued an inspection report that showed an improved work environment. They said security workers are now willing to raise safety concerns but continue to have morale and work environment concerns.
