It's past time for a new RIF news post, so we'll start the new one here:
*** Meeting Has FINALLY been announced. ***
LANS waited until Friday to announce a All-Hands RIF meeting scheduled for next Monday and from the sound of it, I doubt there will be any important information released at this meeting. Sounds like things are not going well in the negotiations with DOE. Rumor is that DOE wants any voluntary package to come out of the $79 million profit fee that LANS receives. And what are the chances of that? Probably slim to none. It's looking like this RIF is going to be largely involuntary and very painful.
To/MS: LANL-ALL
From/MS: Jan A. Van Prooyen, A100
Phone/Fax: 7-5101/7-2997
Symbol: DIR-07-297
Date: November 15, 2007
SUBJECT: Update on Workforce Restructuring
All-Employee MeetingNovember 19, 2007
I want to take the opportunity to update you on the most recent
activity related to the Workforce Restructuring efforts. LANL
has been in communications with the Department of Energy (DOE) to
finalize our Specific Workforce Restructuring Plan and secure
approval for implementation. On Friday, November 9, 2007, we
officially submitted the Specific Workforce Plan to DOE.
The Director will hold an All Employee meeting on Monday,
November 19, 2007, in the NSSB auditorium beginning at 1:15 p.m.
to provide you with an update on our efforts. We look forward to
meeting with you at that time.
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88 comments:
Well, LANS sure took their sweet time about getting this announcement out to the troops. They waited until later in the day on a Friday to announce a Monday All-Hands RIF meeting.
Heckavajob, LANS!
Of course, many people take the week of Thanksgiving off to go out of town to visit relatives.
And, with the 9/80 schedule, many people will not know about this meeting until Monday, the 19th, unless of course they are on vacation.
What a bunch of assholes we have for management.
What does LANS know and what have they been holding back? It is possible that the 2500 figure thrown out by Mike back in September is now really looking like the correct figure? Over at LLNL, the suspicion is rising that the layoffs are going to be much bigger than most people think and that LLNS knows this but just doesn't want to admit it... yet.
www.blogger.com/
comment.g?blogID=
7664769810739843802&postID=
7418646902830650153
That's not so bad. At least they won't be getting rid of 1,700 before Jan 8th. I suspect that will come about between March and Oct of 2008 once they figure out that LLNL budget is going to come in very low, and to meet those needs they'll have to get rid of more people. I believe they already know this but don't want to tell everyone in fear of turmoil. Regardless I don't expect this year to be very productive with all this uneasiness going around. People just aren't motivated and the truth they were never told before the transition is coming to the surface all of which should have been told to the people beforehand, not after the fact. Even now, with NNSA and LLNS knowing the final results they are trying to break it to the people slowly when they should telling us exactly how many people are going to be gone by Oct 1st, 2007. The budgets are going to be flat for a few years and something is going to have to give.
November 15, 2007 11:42 PM
Via email:
Finally:
I want to take the opportunity to update you on the most recent activity related to the Workforce Restructuring efforts. LANL has been in communications with the Department of Energy (DOE) to finalize our Specific Workforce Restructuring Plan and secure approval for implementation. On Friday, November 9, 2007, we officially submitted the Specific Workforce Plan to DOE.
The Director will hold an All Employee meeting on Monday, November 19, 2007, in the NSSB auditorium beginning at 1:15 p.m.
to provide you with an update on our efforts. We look forward to meeting with you at that time.
--
although who bets with me that we don't hear any essential information?
they schedule the "news" for a week where 25-30 of workers will be on vacation.... LOL
ASSHOLES
that should have said 25-30 PERCENT.... oops
Doesn't really matter how many are missing for the All-Hands RIF meeting. There will be no questions other than the usual one about day care.
why is the all hands meeting being held in a Q area? Keep even more people from attending .... ??
Man ... Miller looks like a saint compared to Mikey
"There will be no questions other than the usual one about day care."
There was no opportunity for questions at the LLNL All-Hands meeting, although at least one meeting later in the day (at the PAD level) did open the floor up for questions.
one group leader last week said that the RIF package has still not been accepted and okayed... but LANS can dump limited termers and contractors at any time anyway
Aren't the basic questions:
1) How deep?
2) How fast?
3) How much lube is LANS offering to ease it?
> ... who bets with me that we don't
> hear any essential information?
Might not be hearing any information at all if you're trying to watch it on Labnet.
Three things to think about:
1) Biggest issue between voluntary and terminated (RIF'd), is health care.
Voluntary separation = health care
RIF'd does not = health care
2) An unknown is how long does LANS have to pay for retiree health care, it appears to be at their discretion?
3) Finally, if voluntary separation occurs in 2008, can an individual fund the 401K to defer part of the payout?
I'll be on a plane at 1pm on Monday headed back home for Thanksgiving to visit with my parents and relatives. Thanks a lot, LANS. Is this the same level of expert coordination we can expect with the upcoming RIF? Geeze!
Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you insert pink slips in Holiday Greeting cards and send them out in the US mail with delivery set for December 24th? Think of it as another exercise in lean 6-Sigma Black Belt efficiency.
Director Miller has said he is giving up his bonus from the LLC changeover to charity. He's also putting all of the post-LLC executive salaries raises on hold and keeping them to the pre-LLC levels.
I dare someone to ask Mikey to do the same. In fact, I double-dare you.
Geez Louise 7:23 PM, weren't you paying attention during the Great Transition?
LANS and LLNS don't HAVE to pay for retiree medical at all. They do now, but it is, in fact, at their discretion and ability to support it. As more and more folks retire and they both become more cash-strapped, look for them to phase this out, first by increasing the amount retirees must contribute, and eventually by eliminating it altogether. That's why it was kind of foolish for everyone to be so concerned about medical in their retirement deliberations. It'll most likely disappear, and sooner rather than later.
8:24 pm:
"LANS and LLNS don't HAVE to pay for retiree medical at all. They do now, but it is, in fact, at their discretion and ability to support it. As more and more folks retire and they both become more cash-strapped, look for them to phase this out"
LANS is currently paying for retiree medical for ALL existing UC and LANS LANL retirees, not just those who've retired since the transition. So, don't look for LANS to try to dump this as long a other UC retirees (not from LANL) are receiving this benefit. That would REALLY be "lawsuit city."
"Think of it as another exercise in lean 6-Sigma Black Belt efficiency. - 11/16/07 7:44 PM"
Yeah, and 3M just announced that they're trashing their 6-Sigma Program.
I suspect LANS wants to try to kill santa claus at the same time they RIF the workers. Maybe they should wait until Dec 24 to announce layoffs.
signed retired and happy
11/16/07 2:29 PM wrote "... but LANS can dump limited termers and contractors at any time anyway"
Great - then why don't they do that?
From 8:00 PM "Director Miller has said he is giving up his bonus from the LLC changeover to charity. He's also putting all of the post-LLC executive salaries raises on hold and keeping them to the pre-LLC levels.
I dare someone to ask Mikey to do the same. In fact, I double-dare you."
Well, we know Big Terry didn't. He bought a designer house in Quemazon and fancy new sports car.
Well, at least Big Terry bought that exotic sports car with his own ill-gained salary. LANS pays for the pretty black one that Mikey likes to use to zoom-zoom down the road.
And what's the deal with all of our highly paid LANS execs and their insatiable desire for expensive sports cars? You can find them everywhere in the TA-3 covered parking lot these days. Are their peckers all really that small that they feel the need to buy these expensive Boy Toys?
Back in the day that Harold Agnew was Director, you could usually find him driving around town in a beat-up old station wagon. I guess ol' Harold's pecker must have been humongous! Perhaps it was a result of all the plutonium those old guys were exposed to back in the early years.
11/16/07 2:29 PM wrote "... but LANS can dump limited termers and contractors at any time anyway"
"Great - then why don't they do that?" 11/16/07 10:20 PM
Because KSL wouldn't be too happy about that, would they? And we all know who really calls the shots at LANL, don't we?
Follow the money. How much did KSL overcharge in that itty bitty 'overcharge' account that the IG just investigated? Wasn't it $41 million? And LANS says they see no problem with KSL's mode of doing business? Well, there you go. I think you've got all the evidence you need to answer your question. Now, stop asking nosy question like this or you might end up getting your legs broken.
Not that it matters much, but just for the record Sig Hecker drove an old Chevy Blazer and John Browne had a Ford Explorer for awhile followed by some sort of unpretentious rice burner.
the contractors they'll let go on Monday if there's any real news will be from Butler, Comforce, Weirich etc.... the KSL contractors are in a different "category." Then there are still hundreds of limited term employees. If LANS announces them all gone, that would be well over 1,000 workers who are in these categories. Then there are still hundreds of students as well... all this before they touch a "regular" employee....
I believe LANL always contributed to their retirees' health care premiums; it was administered by UC before LANS took over. Now, I believe Hewitt handles retiree medical.
I'd be interested to hear what the grounds for a lawsuit would be if LANS chose to discontinue the retiree medical coverage? I do not believe it is a promised pension/retirement benefit. For those retired under UC, a quick read of the UCRS Summary Plan appears to make no mention of health care as part of the retirement plan.
http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/
forms_pubs/spd/ucrpspdwss.pdf
On the atyourservice.ucop.edu website I find for Health Benefits for Retirees:
If you elect UCRP monthly retirement income, you may be eligible to continue your UC-sponsored medical, dental and legal insurance if:
...
UC's contribution toward the monthly cost of medical and dental coverage is determined by UC and may change or stop altogether.
I don't have the LANS retirement plan descriptions in front of me. As I recall, all new LANS employees as members of TCP2 get "access only" in retirement, while those who transitioned into TCP2 get a prorate on the employer contribution in retirement based on service at transition. TCP1 retiree medical is similar to UCRP retiree medical.
I see as more likely a shifting of premium costs through a continual reduction in the employer paid portion of the premium over time.
And then there are the token whiners whining about all of the whining!
Who are the real losers here really?
I don't care what the fat cats drive, or who pays for it, but it is kind of rude while they are telling us they can't afford to keep everyone on the payroll...
Miller made a class move when he deferred on his own bonus and when he froze salaries... it may be (yet another smokescreen) but at least the message is positive.
I was told off quite abruptly by my management when I told them in a pre-raise division meeting that I was "all for" skipping raises this year. Management thought I was being a troublemaker and several of my peers were offended because "they deserved" and "we need to cut the deadwood out!".
Divide and conquer.
I have a gig lined up outside... I may just slip out the back door while Mikey and the Bechtels continue to fuck around with our careers and our professions and what might be an important national asset.
I hate to give up...
Bastards!
- Doc
Word on the street is consortium has been formed to pick up on foreclosed properties that come available in the aftermath of the upcoming RIF. Visualize scavengers of the savannah feeding on the remains a once viable live forms now lifeless, rotting in the hot mid day sun.
Doc -
Good to hear your voice here, but you didn't use your sig. line. Have you lost your password to your blog?
I suspect it is something like "BechtelSucks!"
Remember:
The best revenge is to live well.
I hope half the lab quits and finds something better to do, hopefully close by.
If the high-functioning half of the laboratory leaves and petitions Tech Transfer for access to their best work at the Lab and there is nobody left at LANL (except TT?), what can they do except make a good deal?
I won't be in the auditorium next Monday, I'll be wrapping up my own projects so when I decide on a better offer, I can slip out the back door too.
- Darkomatic
Oh, come on 9:09 AM. You can do better than that. 'Pathetic losers'? What kind of wimpy term is that?
How about throwing in a 'morons', or even better yet, shout out a loud 'STFU!'. Better yet, go polish your sports car and work off some steam.
Sig Hecker and John Browne where at least fairly decent men. The LANS people now running this show are in a whole different class. From what I've seen, they are nothing more than a bunch of carpet-baggers intent on grabbing what they can before the whole house of cards comes crashing down.
1000 "People" still equate to People, so what if they are contractors, temps, or students, the last poster talks as if the only "real" employess are LANS employees, we are all people forget the high-minded attitude that you have developed, we are all employees, and members of the community, and all in this together...
11/17/07 9:09 AM; "This is quite a crew we have posting here. First it was incessant whining about not getting information. Then, when a meeting is finally announced, this post has incessant whining about the timing of the meeting followed by a nice string of posts whining about what people drive.
What a bunch of pathetic losers."
--Proclaims Sir Richard of LANS
10:51 you're reading something into my post that isn't even there.... all I said was that the first round to go will be contractors, limited terms, and students... if you noted the QUOTES around my use of the word REGULAR you might have READ it as IRONIC.... I have many friends in those OTHER categories of WORKERS...there was nothing "high minded" in what I said, nothing stated or implied.... so go pick a fight ELSEWHERE....
Read the RIF procedure and you'll see it calls for these OTHER workers to go before the REGULAR employees.... not that LANS will follow the rules and this doesn't mean that REGULAR employees won't get RIFFED along with the OTHERS...
CLEAR? or too HIGH MINDED for you?
By waiting until late November to announce reductions, these LANS (tiny) pricks assure that LANL must lay off 20% more staff than if they had their act together on Oct. 1. If the budget stays constant, next FY LANS can hire the displaced 20% back. Wanna bet how many of these will be former LANL employees vs. outsiders from Bechtel and the other partners?
Page 9 of the following link is a list of LANS AD's salaries and fringe benefits.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Investigations/LANL.QFR.resptoAnastasio.QFR.ltr.pdf
Note that LANS did not fully answer Chairman Stupak's question -He asked for Salary, BONUS, and fringe. By only including salary and fringe, Anastasio was clearly being purposefully deceptive.
Congress and the public need to know how many LANL weapon scientists are being laid off to pay LANS manager's BONUSES.
1:07 pm
Its actually even more misleading. LANS only provided info on the DOE reimbursed portion of salary. I suspect all of them get extra from the parent companies out of the $70M fee.
Let's take just one example from the House April '07 "Questions for the Record" salary listing supplied by LANS.
The public salary information (available pre-LLC) for May '06 shows that Terry Wallace received a salary of $232 K. The House memo shows his salary and fringe for '07 was $350 K. This is in the House public record, so it can't be hidden using LANS' lame "proprietary information" excuse. Also, realize that unlike most of you, Terry probably got a big, fat raise for FY08, so this House figure is probably too low, but let's leave it at that amount just for grins. Now, add in the 20% bonus that the LANS executives receive and you have:
Terry Wallace - SALARY ANALYSIS:
---------------------------
$350 K (Salary and Fringe) + $70 K (20% Bonus) = *** $420 K !!!! ***
Terry Pre-LANS salary was $232 K
--------------------------
Terry saw his LANL salary boosted from $232K to $420K in a single year due to the LANS takeover!
The pigs at the top levels of LANS are eating quite well, indeed. And how much of a raise did the average LANL worker get while these pigs feasted? Typically only around 1% to 2%.
The general staff should be outraged, especially when you consider the layoffs that are now going to be necessary to feed these LANS fat cats. At least Director Miller over at LLNL had the dignity to halt some of these obscene LLC raises due the the upcoming RIF.
Just imagine what a few years of salary at $420K would do to your retirement HAPC. ADs like Terry can leave LANL in another year or two and live an extremely nice life.
In the case of the Director and Deputy Director, their LANS Golden-Hello contract specifically grants them special pension insurance to ensure that they will never be denied what they would have received from UCRP. No PBGC worries for any of these guys! What a swell deal the top LANS guys have arranged!
LANS is quickly losing all credibility with large segments of the LANL workforce, not that they really seem to care about it.
I can still hear Mike's famous "No RIF and no plans for a RIF" echoing through my head.
What is the url for the salary information. I can't locate it.
What's the URL for what management drives to work as well? Such information would be invaluable.
Hey, Doc! Great to see you back! When you leave, be sure to turn out the lights on your stupid blog.
Oh that's right. I forgot. It thankfully died 2 months ago. Never mind.
For the LANS executive salary data, go to:
energycommerce.house.gov/
Investigations/
LANL.shtml
Then click "Response" to download the PDF from the July 6, 2007 subject entitled:
Letter to Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Anastascio...
You'll find the salary data at the end of the letter from LANS. It's a real eye-opener! Maybe Pinky should cut and paste the salary list and place it on the front page of the blog. The list shows salary + fringe, but not the bonuses.
If you want to know what some of these same people were making on May '06 (right before the transition), then go to the UPTE site and download the PDFs:
www.upte.org/LosAlamos/
salaries/salaries.html
Hey, Mike, we all made due with less than 3% salary raises this year. You and all the ADs should do likewise. Pull back the Director, Dep. Director, AD and PAD salaries to what they made on May 2006 (pre-LLC). It's what Director Miller over at LLNL said he was doing. Let's see if there is truly any sense of shared fate among those at the top with the rest of LANL's beaten down staff.
I guess we all know where the money for the expensive sports cars is now coming from at LANL.
Amazing things happen to an AD's lifestyle when they get an additional raise of almost $200K on top of already high LANL compensation.
Add in the bonuses and some KSL kick-backs (discretely handled under the table, of course) and we're talking serious money. No wonder these guys made sure all salaries got labeled LANS proprietary information after the take-over. Too bad the cats now out of the bag. Meow!
"Hey, Mike, we all made due with less than 3% salary raises this year. You and all the ADs should do likewise. Pull back the Director, Dep. Director, AD and PAD salaries to what they made on May 2006 (pre-LLC). It's what Director Miller over at LLNL said he was doing. Let's see if there is truly any sense of shared fate among those at the top with the rest of LANL's beaten down staff."
How about cutting back on overhead by shrinking all the AD offices, as well as division leader offices. I'll bet that would bring overhead down by quite a bit.
I see nothing obscene with these salaries. Perhaps the salaries needed to have a substantial boost because these people were being compensated at too low a rate in the past. Beside, anyone can compete for these LANS positions. If you feel that your up to the demands of these jobs, then put in for the next opening. LANS has created a lot of new positions at the top. Maybe one of them has your name on it. Instead of wasting time whining on this blog like pathetic losers, join in and help LANS make great things happen at LANL.
8:52 pm:
Ever notice that there is one poster here who consisently misspells the Director's name as "Anastascio"? I would be more careful about leaving identifiable tracks to my identity.
You guys just don't seem to get it.
LANS has *no* desire to cut overhead.
They *want* to reduce staffing levels at LANL.
They *don't* want to encourage WFO.
They *do* want to gear up for production-scale pit fabrication.
LANS will *not* use any part of their annual award fee to fund a voluntary incentive program.
I'm sure you still don't get it, but it's not for lack of being told, at least.
Just what part of "For Profit" don't you get??
Anonymous at 11/17/07 10:36 PM states that "anyone can compete for these positions..."
My recollection is that all of the new PAP, AD, and DD positions were appointed, NOT COMPETED!
"I won't be in the auditorium next Monday, I'll be wrapping up my own projects so when I decide on a better offer, I can slip out the back door too."
You have better offers and you are waiting to make your dramatic exit? Hopefully you don't own a house in LA county. The delusional thinking at Los Alamos is something to watch. It was obvious where this train was headed years ago. Still, it is really sad to see Los Alamos ride this tain in to the wall.
The bottomline is Los Alamos did not adapt to new realities after the cold war ended (Why change with ASCI and SBSS pouring money in I guess), and then again after 9/11 there was no change strategy. Instead management keeps dreaming of mini-nukes and RRW programs to fall on them like pennies from heaven. There is no hope for Los Alamos to jump into alternative energy research (the DOE already has a lab for that and universities are far cheaper). The only hope was to encourage more work in other national security missions that congress and the public would recognize as compelling reasons for their support.
DOE/NNSA is driving the train now and they have made it clear that the future will be a very small complex to be the caretakers of the stockpile -- please change the oil and rotate the tires every so often. Sound like an exciting future for the "best and brightest"?
I am so glad I got off a couple miles back. It was a great move for me. If you didn't, you'll probably just have to hang on and hope for the best at this point, especially if you own a house in LA county.
Good luck.
10:36 PM - you trying to justify the salaries of our shitty ADs? Oh yeah, job demands are so tough. What good has any of the fat cats done for us or LANL? Nothing has gotten better except for them. Some are even abusing their positions for personal gain and now that I know what they are making salary-wise, I find it even more appauling. Why doesn't Congress investigate the corruption by the top people on the list?
Too bad for all on the planet that caretaking requires more than the experience, knowledge, and skills required to change oil and check tire pressures.
Corporate media looking to maximize short-term profit, politically correct higher education, next election the farthest into the future that politicians can see, general fear and greed.
Don't know the answers, but at least these blogs provide the opportunity to try to find some of the truth about what is going on.
10:47, what is "production-scale pit fabrication"?
"According to Bingaman, the agency has concluded that the new "reliable replacement warhead," a proposal to build a new generation of nuclear warheads, is not likely to go forward. With no need for the new pits, the future demand for the plutonium bomb parts should be small, Bingaman said.
"Production of RRW appears to be off the table," Bingaman said in a statement, "which means there is no reason we'll need a full-scale pit production facility. Los Alamos was tapped years ago to develop a limited number of pits on an annual basis, and I see no reason for that to change in the future."
9:08am,
Production-scale Pu pit production is any and all pit fab done in the nation, since there are and will likely be no other pit fab facilities built. It means that NNSA will pump more money and more into TA-55 until balls-to-the-wall they can produce maybe 15-25 pits per year.
If only Eric the Great and Sir Richard of LANS would join forces, all our problems would solved.
9:08, you must have missed this post by PATB.
Correction: Pit Production story
Associated Press - November 16, 2007 11:25 AM ET
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - In a November 15th story about the plutonium cores of nuclear weapons, The Associated Press, relying on a copyright story from the Albuquerque Journal, reported erroneously that Senator Jeff Bingaman said that a federal agency had concluded that a reliable replacement warhead proposal is unlikely to move ahead. Bingaman's office and the National Nuclear Security Administration said Friday it has not reached that conclusion.
You guys just don't seem to get it.
LANS has *no* desire to cut overhead.
They *want* to reduce staffing levels at LANL.
They *don't* want to encourage WFO.
They *do* want to gear up for production-scale pit fabrication.
LANS will *not* use any part of their annual award fee to fund a voluntary incentive program. - 10:47 PM
Yes, you are right. It's no longer about the science. Those days are over. It's only about the money to be made running this place. Or should I say, running this place into the ground. I get it now.
I know of one totally unnecessary AD... Susan Seestrom spends her time approving travel requests to conferences. Obviously she has too much time on her hands and has never heard of "delegation".
I don't recognize LANL any longer. Do any of you?
If the purpose of NNSA and Congress was to change LANL then it's time to put up the big banners saying "Mission Accomplished!". The Iraq-ification of LANL was a total success. It is now completely non-functional and the various LANL 'tribes' are out attacking each other.
Our future is dim, and I do believe it is time to wind up our projects and face the cruel reality. The LANL that we all were so proud of, is gone. It is not coming back, it is a memory. We need to save our families and what is left of our investment in northern NM and move on. All the attacks on those who brought this to us...is going no where...it is a waste of energy. All my friends are gone.
There is lots of work in the power industry. That is where I am going...from which I came.
Take all this anger and turn it into energy to get out with as much as you can and concentrate on a better life for you and your family. What a waste this has turned out to be. Just when we should be focused on making our country stronger and more self-sufficient...we are trying to deal with the reality.....that all we have done seems not to matter.
Lets ALL go and let them pick up the pieces.
More.....If you interview with a big utility company (i.e. PG&E, etc) they will purchase your home/ or pay for it up to a year and move you to your new location.
Write your resumes, line up interviews and head-out. They are interviewing...now.
Remember to bring copious amounts of vasoline.
Ethical management? Annoncing layoffs as the holiday season begins? Seems to be an activity of low moral standing to do so. Yes, people will reduce spending on the holidays, but they will not be happy hoidays. All so a grubby few can get rich.
What's with these LANS Managers" driving vehicles leased by LANS. I thought that there was a funding issue, but instead they display conspicuous consumption while others face the loss of their jobs and possible bankruptcy.
Does that seem right?
It needs to be stopped. Now. Who knows how to do so, legally.
11/17/07 3:01 PM, good catch. For example, Mallory's base salary is around $440K.
Capitolism, dumbshits, isn't that what you were fighting for during the cold war? If you want a lifetime of guaranteed jobs, you chose the wrong side.
Yeah, but what kind of car does he drive?
I think most people fought for capitalism, not capitolism. Perhaps it's the principal (sic) of the matter.
You're compounding the issue, 9:06.
Stop your whinning! I am sure that everyone of you took your raise this year, just like Mike and Terry took theirs. Perhaps if the workers would just start questioning why everything costs so much and why nothing works, then perhaps we could fix things.
It is time for the the double dippers to get a clue. We are very grateful for your 30+ year career but please move on after you hear the offer today.
It really is time...
3:46 AM:
The reason things are so expensive is LANS; over $175M in non-productive costs; fee, gross receipts tax, pension contribution, too many overpaid managers, LANS's inability to control KSL costs, novice knee-jerk reactions (JB Weld, laptop pool, convoy training), and change for change sake (the Concur travel system is a disaster). These costs ARE what we're questioning.
3:46 AM: Sleep deprivation seems to have messed up your short-term memory.
Show me the incentive.
The incentive is that you might NOT get laid off if you don't take the VRIF.
some time ago there was a post and thread of comments regarding what it would take to cause people to leave LANL....I wonder what their answers today are and how they compare to the previous thread's answers?
Me? Put out the standard severance package of 1/6 + 2/>6 and I'm outta here....no further incentive needed.
5:08 am:
"It is time for the the double dippers to get a clue."
I don't understand the animosity towards "double dippers." They took an opportunity that helps them and their families and hurts no one. Their first "dip" is a UC-paid pension that has no effect on the LANS financial problems. Their second "dip" is a salary paid for work, just as for any other LANS employee. What is the big deal, except jealousy? If you think they are old-timers who are not pulling their weight, then focus on the performance issue, not the "double dipping" issue. If you think they are taking up a spot you deserve, then convince your management you deserve it.
5:08, why should the DDs get a clue? I'm not a DD, but I see no difference between them and anyone else that has earned a pension from another job and is collecting. They were UC employees and are no longer.
Anyway, better to have them working on stuff and accounted for like everyone else.
Back in the fun days when groups controlled $, it was very, very common to retire from LANL and come back as a contractor. Probably some still around. We had a GL that hired back many of his retired pals as technical contractors. If he really liked them, he would make a TSM in the group write them their own contract and have them handle all the paperwork and financial stuff as well. We had guys retired from other divisions in our group as contractors, and their program pals from those other divisions sending them money for work without line manager knowledge. Needless to say, $ flow was a little less formal than it appears to be today. Although, as KSL issues seem to highlight, having formality doesn't give the entire picture. Can have tons of data, but if no one looks at it, it is of limited use.
Well; now we've heard the basic plan. Is there anyone out there who is altruistic enough to resign now to "save" another's job?
For example, my team leader owns a couple of businesses in Espanola, has a "rich," retired husband and doesn't need to work for a living. But I KNOW she isn't going to leave voluntarily.
Are we supposed to go out and encourage people like her to quit? (Maybe I can get her in a dark alley somewhere...)
Seriously, does anyone know if the Phase I severance pay is going to be the same as involuntary Phase II severance?
In response to Ravenfriend's question about the severance pay - Anastasio mentioned several times today that they consider the entire process to be "involuntary", therefore, those that self-select (Phase 1), as well as those that are selected involuntarily (Phase 2) would all be eligible for the same severance package.
I don't work at LANL and never had. I read this blog to get an idea of what it's like there. The one thing that really jumps out at me is the focus on money. Who's making what, at what cost, how much can be saved. Is that what drives this lab?
3:36 pm: "The one thing that really jumps out at me is the focus on money. Who's making what, at what cost, how much can be saved. Is that what drives this lab?"
Yes. It's called a "for profit" operation. Didn't use to be that way, but congress and DOE/NNSA saw fit to change things. Now they can't get what they used to get for the same money, and the crunch is causing massive disruption to the lives of employees who've served the country very well over the years, and of their families. I imagine you would also be "driven" by money in the same circumstances.
Those who listened closely will remember that Mike said 750 =$100M for a year. Whether this is right or wrong, $100M is what they are trying to cover with the RIF. They are simply trying to cover the corporate fee of $80M and some change. Your jobs = the LANS board and ULM bonuses.
A previous comment suggested the severance might be something like
"1/6 + 2/>6". We know that apparently there's a cap of 39 weeks. Does anyone out there have any more concrete information on what the severance really is, or is it still to be determined?
"Does anyone out there have any more concrete information on what the severance really is, or is it still to be determined?"
Just like it was under UC - 1 week of pay for each of the first 6 years of service, then 2 weeks of pay for every year beyond 6, capped at 39 weeks of pay. That is more generous than any other DOE site.
2:15
You want Miller? No shit! What are you smoking? I want some.
Mike clearly stated that TCP1 and TCP2 would be considered equals with respect to the "voluntary involuntary" Phase 1.
My question is, will TCP1's and TCP2's also be considered equals during the 'involuntary involuntary' phase II of this RIF?
Seems to me they (LANS) understand that they must maintain some corporate knowledge/seniority even though many who fall into this category elected to go TCP2 and double dip...I thought all TCP2's were considered "new" employee's after June 1! What gives?
12:31, where did you got that idea? All NEW LANS employees hired beginning 6/1/07 go into TCP2 and service starts from hire date. This new employee group does not include transitioned employees who never left LANL, regardless of whether they chose TCP1 or TCP2.
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