Union security guards have voted to ratify a three-year contract with Entergy Corp., ending a nearly seven-week lockout.

Entergy locked the guards out from its Grand Gulf nuclear plant in Claiborne County Sept. 30 after the previous contract expired. The guards are represented by the United Government Security Officers of America Local 36. The local ratified a contract Friday morning with 40 members voting yes and 17 voting no, said UGSOA president Desiree Sullivan.

“The employees will be transitioning back to their security positions as their clearance levels, and qualifications are reinstated,” Sullivan said.

The process of reinstating security employees could take several weeks, Entergy spokesman Michael Bowling said.

The union has said Entergy worked guards more hours than federal law allows just before the lockout and sent waivers to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to justify the overages more often than it should have.

The company didn’t say in a Friday statement if that dispute was resolved in the new contract. Entergy said the new pact is “a substantial commitment” to workers, including wage increases.

“The new contract is a result of hard work on both sides,” said Mike Balduzzi, Entergy’s senior vice president of nuclear technical services. “It reflects Entergy’s commitment to our employees and to our business, and it is acceptable to our union members as well. We look forward to seeing these employees return to work.”

Entergy and union officials declined to comment on specifics of the contract.