Security Guards Overwhelmingly Vote to Remove SPFPA Union Officials from Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant
Guards avoid runoff with clear vote to reject two different unions
Waynesboro, GA (February 10, 2026) – Security guards working for Southern Nuclear Operating Company have freed themselves from the control of Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) union officials in their workplace. The guards, who in January filed a petition seeking a “union decertification vote” with free assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, work at Plant Vogtle, a major nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia.
In a vote conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a majority of voting security guards decided against having any union at all in their workplace, rejecting both the SPFPA and a rival union that was trying to work its way into power. By voting overwhelmingly to reject union “representation,” the guards avoided a runoff election and sent a clear message in favor of their individual freedom.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions in workplaces. Under NLRB rules, the Board should administer a decertification election if employees submit a petition in which at least 30% of workers in a work unit demand such an election.
Security Guards Restore Individual Freedom in Their Workplace
Georgia is a Right to Work state, meaning that SPFPA officials could not enforce union contracts that require workers to pay union dues or fees to keep their jobs. Now, the nearly 250 security guards at the power plant are also free from SFPFA’s exclusive “representation,” a power used by union officials to impose restrictive, one-size-fits-all contracts on every employee in a workplace, even those who don’t support the union.
The Foundation has seen unprecedented levels of worker-backed decertification efforts in the wake of the radical, pro-Big Labor policies instituted by the Biden Administration. There were several successful decertification efforts in 2025 involving the Teamsters, the Operating Engineers, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and the Service Employees International Union. This successful effort continues this trend into 2026.
“Contrary to union boss propaganda, workers all across America desire to make a living independent of union rules and strictures. Plant Vogtle security guards have just joined the vast majority of American workers who are not under union control and have no ambitions to join a union,” said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “While Georgia’s Right to Work law guards employees from the forced-dues demands of union officials, no worker should be forced under the control of union chiefs who are self-interested or simply aren’t doing a good job.”
Security Guards at Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant Demand Vote to Remove SPFPA Union Officials
Guards collect enough signatures to prompt federal labor board to administer union removal vote
Waynesboro, GA (January 8, 2026) – Security guards working for Southern Nuclear Operating Company have recently filed a petition asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a vote to remove the Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) union from their workplace. The guards, who filed the petition with assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, work at Plant Vogtle, a major nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions in workplaces. Under NLRB rules, the Board should administer a decertification election if employees submit a petition in which a required number of workers in a work unit demand such an election. The Southern Nuclear Operating Company workers’ petition, which Dallas Howard submitted on behalf of his coworkers, met this threshold.
Security Guards Dissatisfied with Union ‘Representation’
Georgia is a Right to Work state, meaning that SPFPA officials cannot enforce union contracts that require workers to pay union dues or fees to keep their jobs. In non-Right to Work states, union bosses can have workers fired solely for refusing to financially support union officials’ activities.
However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, union officials can wield exclusive “representation” power over every employee in a workplace, even those that don’t want to be represented by the union. A successful decertification election would strip SPFPA union bosses of exclusive bargaining power over these 250 security guards, enabling the workers to negotiate for themselves.
SPFPA Union Officials Continue to Ignore Worker Interests
The Foundation has seen a history of unwanted “representation” by the SPFPA. In 2024, the Foundation provided free legal aid to security guards in Delaware after the SPFPA negotiated a contract behind their backs. In Las Vegas, security guards scored a settlement returning thousands of dollars in illegally-seized union dues after SPFPA officials failed to acknowledge many employees’ attempts to revoke their union memberships and cut off dues deductions.
“SPFPA union officials have repeatedly shown that they care little about workers they claim to ‘represent.’ They only care about maintaining control and power, and we are proud to assist these security guards as they try to restore their individual freedom,” said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “While Georgia’s Right to Work law guards employees from the forced-dues demands of union officials, no worker should be forced under the control of union chiefs who are self-interested or simply aren’t doing a good job.”
