After multiple unsuccessful attempts, more than 200 workers at Framatome, a nuclear manufacturer, voted decisively to join Seattle Local 77.

“When the workers approached us to make this happen, we dove in,” said Darla Stevens, an assistant business manager and organizer with Local 77. “The amount of support we received from the community, from other IBEW locals and even from other unions was incredible.”

The employees at Framatome, about three hours southeast of Seattle, have wanted a union for a long time, said Local 77 organizer Sara Langus, but their previous campaigns always fell short. In one effort, they lost by only six votes.

But this time was different. The momentum was on their side.

“They came to us with 30 cards signed. We told them it wasn’t enough, and within a few weeks they had 70 cards,” Langus said. “That showed us they were serious and ready.”

The campaign moved at an incredibly fast pace, with only three weeks between filing and the vote, which was held at the end of July. But a mix of older workers who recalled the earlier drives and new workers told Stevens and Langus that they were ready to put it all on the line.

Normally, organizers want indications of about 70% support from the workers before holding an election, but the energy of the campaign was high, so they filed at 46%, which was then knocked down to 34% when management made them include more employees in the unit.

“That meant we had to move fast and be strategic,” Langus said.

The organizers divided workers into three categories: the confirmed yeses, the undecideds and those who were forced into the unit. With the yes group, they emphasized how close the last election had been. With the undecided workers, they focused on the benefits of being in a union and worked to counter the company’s multiple misleading statements. For those who didn’t want to be in the unit at all, they assured the workers that if it won, the union would be there to listen and fight for them no matter how they voted.

What drove Framatome’s employees to unionize were core issues every worker faces: better benefits, wages and working conditions. Management was constantly demanding overtime, usually with only a day or two of notice. Shifts were also changed with little warning, making it nearly impossible for workers to plan their personal lives.

“These workers at Framatome were highly motivated to form their union, and they did it for all the best reasons: to build a better life for their families, to have a voice on the job, and to build a safer and more productive workplace,” Stevens said.

Langus and Stevens said it was the workers themselves who made the campaign successful.

“They took real risks,” Langus said. “They knew they’d be targeted, but this time they didn’t shy away. They were loud, and they were determined to see it through.”

That determination was crucial in the face of Framatome’s anti-union campaign. The company brought in a union-busting firm that was on site for weeks, pulling employees into one-on-one meetings. There was an onslaught of misleading information, and supervisors pulled no punches, sending out letters and urging people not to join the union.

“It was a daily battle to counter their messaging, but the workers held strong,” Langus said.

In the end, the pro-union workers won, with 118 voting in favor of representation and only 64 against. They join 32 other Framatome employees who are already members of Local 77, which represents roughly 8,500 workers in the utility and energy sector across Washington, northern Idaho and northwest Montana.

The new bargaining unit is made up of employees who perform a wide array of highly technical positions. They include end-to-end nuclear fuel manufacturing and support functions, such as control room and process operations; quality assurance, surveillance and documentation verification; and materials logistics and inventory control.

“In just a short time, these workers came together with incredible energy and determination to be heard,” said Jason Locke, an electrician and one of the leaders of the campaign. “They are eager to make things better around the plant, share their ideas for how the company can improve production and partner with Framatome to return it to its status as the workplace of choice in the Tri-Cities.”