Dec 29, 2008

Lab came to terms with a tough year

By ROGER SNODGRASS, The Los Alamos Monitor

Los Alamos National Laboratory survived the threat of a massive budget cut this year from Congress and came out with its funding intact.

In the recession-era sense that a “flat” budget is the new “raise” and definitely better than a cut, not suffering a loss was a notable achievement.

At the beginning of the year, the lab was coming out of another cycle of change and insecurity and was immediately hit by a budget proposal from the House of Representatives calling for a $400 million reduction.

In that context, getting back to “flat” in the interim budget resolution passed by Congress in November, also seemed like a significant advance.

Did LANL have anything to do with the turnaround, or was it just something that happened to them because Congress decided that way?

“It was their decision, but we get some credit for working with our delegation and keeping them informed,” said LANL Director Michael Anastasio.

But the laboratory still had to perform under a series of continuing resolutions at the beginning of the year, never quite knowing when or if the axe might fall.

“We had to manage the laboratory with an uncertain budget and put through a workforce reduction that was executed well,” Anastasio said. “But we never had to go to that final step of laying people off.”

That was all the while trying to make room in the old budget for new costs and trying to carve out some wiggle room in case one of the worst-case scenarios arose.

“We still had new costs to absorb, the pay-as you-go retirement costs, even paying ourselves a fee comes out of the lab’s budget,” Anastasio said, noting that the lab would continue to try to save money.

“We’ll continue building efficiencies into our operations. We’ve just finished in-sourcing 900 KSL employees,” he said. “They started as LANS employees on Dec. 1, and everybody got paid. We’re looking at saving a significant amount of money.”

A year without a major scandal probably helped the cause. Scientific achievements like the Roadrunner and the successful completion of the unfinished axis of the Dual Axis Hydrodynamic Radiographic Test (DAHRT) facility also racked up some confidence in Washington.

The fact that DAHRT suffered another setback later in the year due to an avoidable mistake, as reported in the year-end evaluation, weakened a period with many positive aspects, as did an apparent resurgence of worker-safety related injuries.

New mission work, encouraged by NNSA, may help broaden the financial center of gravity at the lab, which has turned to engage new customers and a wider range of security challenges, including the challenge of clean energy and the threat of climate shift.

More changes seem inevitable as eight years of one administration gives way to the first year of another.

Anastasio was especially pleased that the lab managers had won an extra year on its contract, for a year that despite some pains showed signs of the old luster and stability after many years without.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Society of Professionals, Scientists, and Engineers (union) at LLNL has a short six question on-line poll for LLNL and LANL employees on management models for the labs. They plan to share these results with LLNS & LANS, with NNSA, DOE, and Congress.

http://www.spse.org/Survey Poll LLNL Future.htm

Main website:
http://www.spse.org

Anonymous said...

Has anyone noticed that the Lab has blocked ALL email during the break? So much for getting any work done or responding to any expected e-mails during the holidays. How professional. I guess this is truly how Anastasio and company feel about science - they don't give a shit.

Anonymous said...

Shutting down the Email over the break is yet another nail in the coffin of dead science at LANL.

Anonymous said...

Why are you emailing over the holidays, and which codes are you billing for it?

Anonymous said...

12/30/08 9:10 AM ..."Why are you emailing over the holidays, and which codes are you billing for it?"

If it is any of your f-in business ... but I guess the Lab is getting a bargain as I only get my productive work accomplished during the non-8-5 time of the day and on weekends.

8-5 is spent getting useless training accomplished, filling out paperwork, and just trying to get the "support" services to do their jobs and actually support.

Frank Young said...

If this is similar to the Thanksgiving quarantine, these two posts might help to release important emails:

Holiday Email Quarantine

and

Follow-up to "Go Phish"

Anonymous said...

Oh? What about the other hundreds of contract workers who still work for Butler and Comforce, etc.? Isn't there money to be saved by converting them as you did KSL workers? Wasn't that the idea behind the botched and aborted "Contingent Worker Project" the year of the Nanos Stand Down?

The lab "converted" about one third of the contract workers and then ditched the project. I know people who have worked at national labs for ten year or more and there are no conversions in sight.

So why convert the KSL workers and not ALL contract workers? Anyone see any logic here?

Anonymous said...

All incoming Emails at LANL during all Holiday periods from this point forward are destined for destruction in the LANS 'Bit Bucket'.

If you were expecting to see that important outside job offer come in during this period, better think twice.

If you have plans to circumvent this new policy by using an outside Email address to conduct official LANL business during these periods, better thing twice as the LANL Security office will not be happy with your actions.

If you thought LANS gives a sh*t about making the lab an effective institution for doing important research, then the jokes is on you. LANL is now being run by a politically connected and highly profitable construction company (Bechtel). The current CIO is a Bechtel transplant. What did you expect?

Anonymous said...

Frank, the e-mails are not being quaranteened as before and you cannot even see any emails. There was no notification about this. Very troublesome.

Contrary to 1:35 PM's bold "you better not" warning, I think after this latest blockade, I will be using a private e-mail for work communications.

Frank Young said...

Sounds like the doings of some nine to five type. The quarantine works for them. If you complain then you must be the problem. Welcome to corporate America.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 12/30/08 9:10 AM said...

"Why are you emailing over the holidays, and which codes are you billing for it?"

This person must be a Bechtellite.
Many of us carry on our research collaborations at night, on weekends, and during holidays. Others manage technical contracts in companies that do not shutdown during this period.

Anonymous said...

Who gives a damn whether or not you get your Email or get your work done as long as I get my bonus!

MIKEY

Anonymous said...

Wow 10:19. Writing emails is the most productive thing you are doing? I sleep better at night knowing the nation is getting your valuable services!

Many LANL scientists, much like yourself, go on and on about how they are being kept down by inadequate support and too much paperwork. You may be the exception, but many LANL scientists are secretly grateful for these excuses for their poor productivity. It is more fun to complain than to actually work.

Anonymous said...

So 4:27, which part of this is a value-add for the taxpayer? Talking to your friends ("carry on our research collaborations at night, on weekends, and during holidays") or being a useless middle-man between the sponsor and the actual worker ("manage technical contracts in companies that do not shutdown during this period").

Anonymous said...

DOD works 24/7/365.

Anonymous said...

So does an 'open 24 hours' Wal-Mart. What is your point?

Anonymous said...

If you can only be reached during business hours on business days then you are nothing more than a business.

Frank Young said...

It seems to me that the IT folks could monitor the email system from home, or anywhere with an internet connection. Emails could be released at least hourly. Why is this not possible?

Anonymous said...

I say let Walmart take over LANL. At least we'll get those old and friendly greeters placed at our front gates. And given the rapidly declining weapons budget, we'll soon need those famous low, low prices to entice our customers!

Anonymous said...

LANS appears to be trying to tell the staff something important with this new policy of actually destroying incoming Emails during all holiday periods.

Unfortunately, LANL staff seem to be a bit slow on the uptake. I suppose LANS will just have to try a little harder to get their new message across. Perhaps the next step will be to take away all PCs at the lab.

Anonymous said...

It's damned fortunate for Mikey and his cohorts that scientific productivity is not a metric for their inflated bonuses!

Anonymous said...

What is this "science" thing?

MIKEY

Anonymous said...

"It's damned fortunate for Mikey and his cohorts that scientific productivity is not a metric for their inflated bonuses!"

You think we're any more productive in the non-research arena? Har de har har.

Anonymous said...

Productivity is NOT a consideration. The requirement is to be a work-free safe and secure place. Safety and security are the metrics for my bonus. Productivity is NOT measured.

MIKEY

Anonymous said...

Luckily I can bury safety and security problems. Productivity would be much harder to fake.

MIKEY

Anonymous said...

The lack of the respect for the LANL director, aka "MIKEY," is impressive.

We need a vote of confidence on Mikey. Of course, we would have to watch that the Bechtelites do not stuff the ballot box.

Anonymous said...

"It's damned fortunate for Mikey and his cohorts that scientific productivity is not a metric for their inflated bonuses! - 1/1/09 8:06 AM"

Sure is interesting that the "Peyton Places" throughout the Lab continue to run rampant with the bonuses.

Anonymous said...

Those bonuses are the worst thing that has happened to LANL. The managers are running the lab strictly for the short-term purpose of maximizing their bonuses.

Anonymous said...

Nobody in Los Alamos respected Mike Anastasio when he lived in Livermore and was trying hard to kill LANL programs. Why should we respect him more when he is in Santa Fe killing LANL programs? Fortunately, he isn't respected in Washington either, so isn't/wasn't terribly effective in either local. As a practical matter, he is a non-entity who gets a big bonus every year for not answering questions at all-hands meetings and signing the annual certification before reading the report. He'll be gone soon enough.

Anonymous said...

OK! So maybe Mikey will be gone soon. BUT, who (WHAT?) will they replace him with?

Anonymous said...

It's one thing to disable Email service over the holiday closure but to destroy the incoming Emails is scandalous. This laboratory is not being operated in the public interest!

Anonymous said...

OK! So maybe Mikey will be gone soon. BUT, who (WHAT?) will they replace him with?

1/3/09 4:12 PM

Does the name Terry Wallace ring a bell?

Anonymous said...

Terry Wallace! YUCK!

Can't we get a REAL scientist to run this place?

Maybe John Browne or Sig Hecker are still available.

Anonymous said...

No, it will be my boy, Terry. It's already been decided by the powers that matter.

(State Sen. Jeannette Wallace)

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what's going on with the lab's email? I find it hard to believe that upper-level managers are having their emails blocked (without being able to release them from quarantine) or deleted - all these people do is send emails!

Anonymous said...

Sorry 8:18, but maybe if people stopped voting for Jeanette.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 1/4/09 3:45 PM writes:
"Does anyone know what's going on with the lab's email? I find it hard to believe that upper-level managers are having their emails blocked (without being able to release them from quarantine) or deleted - all these people do is send emails!"

Yes, what if the DOE wants to contact people?

Frank Young said...

DOE is welcome to use the blog to contact people.

Anonymous said...

"Sorry 8:18, but maybe if people stopped voting for Jeanette. - 1/4/09 4:16 PM"

Jeanette has prevailed because she runs uncontested on the ballots!

........Mommy!............

Anonymous said...

Destroying all incoming Emails to LANL during the holidays is a new low mark for LANS management. It makes you start to wonder about the qualifications of the people running this scientific mad house.

Anonymous said...

"It makes you start to wonder about the qualifications of the people running this scientific mad house." (9:22 PM)

Qualifications? If they have the word "Bechtel" somewhere on their resume that's about all they need for LANS to hire them as a manager.

Anonymous said...

PADSTE employees received this note from Terry about the email quarantine:

"On December 18th, you may recall that we informed you that e-mail
from non white-listed sites (.gov, and others that you have allowed
in the past) would be quarantined and that you would be able to
release messages as needed over and after the winter break. (See
http://int.lanl.gov/security/cyber/incident/alert.shtml ).

Due to unforeseen technical and configuration problems, you were
unable to release quarantined e-mail on-demand over the holiday
break. We apologize for this inconvenience. Your e-mail was kept
over the holiday and not lost. At any point now you can either
release the messages from your proof point digest that was e-mailed
to you Sunday night or Monday. The server is very busy with people
releasing their e-mail. We ask that you be patient and persistent to
ensure you get the e-mail that you need. We will not automatically
release any of the e-mail that was quarantined over the break. You
can release any message, but e-mail that was quarantined and not
released by the end of next week (1/16) will be automatically deleted."