Since LANS will be conducting an "Employee Engagement Survey" next month, it might be appropriate to conduct the uncensored version of this same survey here. We'll kick it off with a comment from yesterday's COW post. Here, then is the first question from the LTRS LANS EES (Employment Engagement Survey):Question #1 on the LANS employee satisfaction survey:
How good of a job is the Director doing in leading this lab?
A) Good
B) Excellent
C) Unbelievably, Amazing, Stupendous!
C) My goodness, this man is super-human! Give him a triple bonus and mail my survey reward to the home address!
How good of a job is the Director doing in leading this lab?
A) Good
B) Excellent
C) Unbelievably, Amazing, Stupendous!
C) My goodness, this man is super-human! Give him a triple bonus and mail my survey reward to the home address!
And here are a few more:
Why start listening to the workforce now? I have been here for 15 years, first we had upward appraisals ... tossed in the trash and ignored (unless they were good), LANS has sent out other surveys with no effect. Otherwise, Wallace, Neu and few other notables would be gone or demoted to the right level of their incompetence.
ReplyDeleteAnd do we look so stupid to believe it is "anonymous". Yeah, gotta use your Z# to log in. Wow, they will never figure out it is me.
Great timing on this. We learned today that Mikey's attack dog Brett Knapp tossed out his WT-Division Leader Chris Romero, eliminated WT-Division, and has given all remaining WT-Division employees (what's left( to his fair-haired and look alike W-Division Leader John Benner, Knapp just keeps on proudly mounting minorities and women on his office wall. Don't let Benner fool you, he also has a complete disregard and a low opinion of women and minorities, not to mention a bad case of egomania. Knapp and Benner are conspiring to rule the Lab one day.
ReplyDeleteLANS has announced that they will release the results of this survey to the employees. What may be surprising to some readers of this blog is that there are a fair number of lab employees (mainly in the support orgs) who seem to actually like LANS management and will probably give it high marks. It's also not clear how the survey will be implemented so that sampling of the lab population is random.
ReplyDeleteRemember that famous LANL letter signed by over 200 prominent lab scientists back in January '06 and sent to Anastasio before he took over the Director position?
ReplyDelete-*-
Sent to Kuckuck and Anastasio (LANL: The Real Story)
http://www.parrot-farm.net/
lanl-the-real-story/2006/01/
sent-to-kuckuck-and-anastasio.html
-*-
As I look at the names on this old letter, it occurred to me that many of the signers have either left the lab in disgust, retired (bailed out) with the SSP, or died since this letter was sent.
As time has past, it's also become increasingly clear that many of the hard hitting comments that were posted about this letter where probably right on target. If people had only known then what we know now.
The letter was nothing more than hot air. I'd already been gone from the lab for six months when Dave Forslund sent it to me for publication on the blog. It was a fine example of "too little, too late".
ReplyDeleteI had previously determined to my own complete satisfaction that UC, in the persons of Kuckuck, Dynes, and Foley (with help from others, like Birely) had nothing more in mind for LANL than maintaining the status quo until they could hand the place over to NNSA and their hand-picked successor.
Sadly, it did not take all that much foresight to see what was coming.
8:37 PM, you are selfish and the kind of person at the lan who will make sure things never improve. Management is trying and your post just shows why they are having trouble succeeding. Please leave and find a new job to make you happy elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteWell, shoot. This was supposed to be a funny post. Where are all the funny comments?
ReplyDeleteOh, that old letter? I never read it. Besides, it's not all bad here in LANL-land.
ReplyDeleteSince January of 2006 we have higher costs, wear shoes that "GRIP", work on crippled computers, drink polluted water, "LOOK" after each other (or, well, at least look after my bank account of fat bonuses) and soon we'll be taking online training to teach us how to properly use stairs.
Oh, and we're now managed by a CONSTRUCTION company and Bechtel is routinely given most of the lab's top positions.
And the best part of all... I now get a luxury sports car paid for by LANS!
What's not to like in all of this? I don't get it?
- MIKEY
Did anyone notice that the "LANL Today" web page had a message at the top of the page this morning informing readers that all links to news, etc. on the front page had been de-activated due to security concerns?
ReplyDeleteSheeze! What's next?
No doubt, 9:03. The overhead organizations must _love_ LANS. Where else could they get paid so much to do so little? Also, no doubt that LANS will "sample" the survey accordingly.
ReplyDeleteInternal lab web pages with links are dangerous! My latest cyber-security policy has banned them.
ReplyDelete(Tom Harper)
Looks like ORNL plans on becoming a prime player in the area of climate modeling. They just got $215 million in new climate research funding and plan on hiring 50 new climate researchers!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, back at LANL, Mikey and Terry try their best to reach NNSA's staff attrition rate of 5% for this next year. Man, does this suck!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOAA investment boosts Oak Ridge as climate hub (Knoxville News)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will provide $215 million to Oak Ridge National Laboratory over the next five years to support climate research, further bolstering ORNL's role as a U.S. hub for broad-based work on global climate change.
Thomas Zacharia, ORNL's deputy lab director for science and technology, pictured left, said Oak Ridge is becoming a go-to place where agencies engaged in climate studies can work together to leverage their assets and get the most out of their resources.
"NOAA's investment is huge," Zacharia said today, noting that the federal agency (part of the Commerce Dept.) is one of the major players in climate change with "tremendous research capabilities."
The new agreement between NOAA and the Department of Energy has already provided $73.5 million in Recovery Act money to ORNL, with similar amounts to follow over the next four years, he said. The lab expects to hire 25 to 50 additional climate researchers as part of the expanded effort, he said.
One of the key Oak Ridge attractions, of course, is the lab's stable of supercomputers, headed by the Cray XT5 "Jaguar" -- the world's fastest computer for open science that's frequently called upon to run the most difficult climate-simulation models. ORNL also is home to observational experiments, including outdoor studies that evaluate and measure the impact of climate-related factors -- such as carbon dioxide -- on ecosystems.
Zacharia said the National Science Foundation and NASA, two other federal institutions involved in climate research, already have a strong presence at ORNL.
"When you look at the investment by DOE and NSF and NOAA and NASA, it's really bringing together an integrated capability," making Oak Ridge a place for inter-agency projects, he said.
Zacharia said the people are as important as the machines. ORNL hired two of the nation's top climate-research stars -- Jim Hack, a top climate modeler from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and David Bader from Lawrence Livermore National Lab -- in the past year and has continued to build the talent base at the lab's National Center for Computational Sciences.
"Frankly, it's very hard these days to assemble the kind of talent that we have assembled," he said.
Collaborative research among all the key agencies and top personnel will be used to tackle the complex climate changes, the lab executive said.
The Obama administration is encouraging federal agencies to leverage each other's investments, and that's what this new agreement is about, Zacharia said.
"We will assemble the resources and the people and will support them in developing next-generation climate models to take advantage of petaflops-and-beyond computers, which is something DOE has asked us to do, and move the science forward," he said.
He said it is ORNL's stated goal to be the world best at neutron science, computational science and materials science, and the climate work is an important part of the computational science strategy.
Posted by Frank Munger on August 24, 2009 at 6:57 PM
blogs.knoxnews.com/munger/
2009/08/
noaa_investment_boosts_oak_rid.html
"What do you think of the LANL blog as a source of information or a place to share ideas and opinions?"
ReplyDeleteA) Be serious, I don't read that blog. What blog?
B) It's just a bunch of whiners.
C) Gag me with a spoon, totally.
D) Why hasn't this blog been shut down yet?
Anonymous at 8/31/09 9:03 PM said...
ReplyDelete"What may be surprising to some readers of this blog is that there are a fair number of lab employees (mainly in the support orgs) who seem to actually like LANS management and will probably give it high marks."
Yes, this is correct. There are all of those people on overhead funding. Their employment is basically tenured. Then there all of those D student Bechtelites who were brought here at salaries that they would never have achieved elsewhere. They are also basically tenured.
They will ALL fill out the survey with positive comments.
I remember when Sig Hecker did the first upward appraisal. Came back bad for him. He wouldn't do the honorable thing and jump off the Canyon bridge. Instead, stayed on...wanting to "be there" for us and help things turn around. Thanks a lot, Sig.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, 9:03. The overhead organizations must _love_ LANS. Where else could they get paid so much to do so little?
ReplyDeleteLivermore?
It seems that overhead funding requires funding from which to draw the overhead.
ReplyDeleteIf scientists and others who bring in the funding leave the Lab and outside funding agencies will no longer fund work at LANL because work at LANL is perceived as too expensive or non productive, doesn't funding disappear and with it overhead. So without funding, those supported on overhead have no jobs.
I am fairly sure that the overhead rate can't exceed 100%. ;-)
On a related tack, what fraction of LANL funding, weapons or non-weapons, can go elsewhere? Where is this elsewhere? Why should we believe that the funding can move?
Thanks.
"I am fairly sure that the overhead rate can't exceed 100%." (Eric)
ReplyDeleteWhat little you know, Eric. Overhead rates on project funds are already over 100% when you add in all the lab's taxing schemes! Each dollar funded to the lab gives much less than 50 cents of actual work.
And as far as running the lab without funding, realize that much of the big blocks of funding come from NNSA like clock-work and will continue to arrive whether LANL produces much of anything or not. All NNSA wants is zero safety and security problems so that they can claim to look good in the simplified metrics.
It's primarily WFO and DOE Office of Science projects that are damaged by the extremely high overhead. These types of projects have to be won in competition and must meet real deliverables. LANS gives lip service to these types of diversified projects but little else. They would just as soon see these projects disappear so the annual budgeting would be easier to perform.
Sounds like ORNL is prepared to hire a big chunk of the existing climate scientists working in the US. They sure have some mighty ambitious plans! Fortunately, they also have the rapidly growing funds to back up these ambitious plans.
ReplyDeleteI should have been more clear.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that overhead can't exceed 100% of the dollars brought in. I may be wrong. ;-)
1. Management will develop the survey so that the outcome will be nothing short of message that tells the world how great of a place this is to work (second to none), how great the management and facilities are (world class), and how the work is making the world a better place (world's greatest science bankrupting America).
ReplyDelete2. The take away message regarding ORNL is that it has a management team (both corporate, staff and within DOE) that supports them to get this additional work. Until DP splits Los Alamos into a weapons design and production entity and a national science laboratory will Los Alamos even be considered to be in the same league as ORNL. To be successful there will require the rank and file of PADSTE to be replaced with even some marginal management.
Bottom line is that we need management to look out into the future as opposed to whether they can meet their big fat PBI award.
3. Looking at monthly budget expenditures, for every $1.00 in direct LANL labor costs, I see "other" costs between $2.50 and $3.00. Granted, while that is not G&A, it does beg the questions about what we get for the "other" costs. At leaste 5% goes to the county/state as gross receipt taxes, then there are all of the org support rates, infrastructure, LDRD...
Off topic, but the Cone of Silence seems to have been lifted from Wordpress blogs. Now I can go back and read those stories about Louis Rosen.
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be very informative to separate the survey responses by:
ReplyDeleteindirect-funded personnel
direct-funded personnel.
4:19 PM - fat chance of that happening.
ReplyDeleteI would not at all be surprised to see that those funded on indirect are quite pleased with the present situation while those of us who have to hustle WFO funding are looking to leave ASAP!
ReplyDeleteThis place is FUCKED!
Mary Neu has been encouraging people under her to encourage people to fill out said survey.
ReplyDelete"This place is FUCKED!" - 6:19 PM
ReplyDeleteIt's strange how LANS seems to think they can drive out those on the direct budgets with threats regarding their lack of sufficient funding while coddling a growing majority of lab employees living on the indirect budgets.
LANS seems to be systematically killing off the engine that powers the lab. As more people on the direct funded projects "hit the wall" and finally decide to leave in disgust, the declining number of staff left on the direct side are being squeezed harder and harder to generate additional funding to feed this indirect monster. It's a system that is unsustainable, much like an upside down pyramid precariously balanced on its tip.
It will be interesting to watch how LANS spins the results of this Employment Engagement Survey. I would hope they would release the raw results but we'll probably see only what they want us to see.
ReplyDeleteWas this survey mandated by NNSA or was it a LANS idea? Anyone know?
To 6:19 and 7:53 pm, yes and yes, and so what is your point?
ReplyDeleteAll the little check boxes in prepared surveys are pretty useless. All I ever read are the hand-written comments- wonder if they will include those...
ReplyDeleteA reader asked me to post this comment and provide a link to this file.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of redundant surveys that waste time and effort and NEVER amount to anything. Back in 2006/7 when John Sarrao and Paul Fallansbee were Division Leaders, they had this little "leadership" program that handpicked promising future leaders in MPA and MST. One of their important tasks was to take the pulse of the MPA/MST workforce, focusing on what issues were hindering science productivity. People in both divisions were reluctant to complete the long survey, fearing it would be another useless waste of time that ultimately management would not listen to and nothing would happen. Oh no! We were assured this time the LDI questionnaire was different because Sarrao and Fallansbee said they would respond to the masses. They even had GLs pressuring folks to fill out the surveys. Well, in true LANL format, lots of wasted time & effort, and a product that is posted on the MPA website, with not a single issue highlighted in the summary ever addressed. So, I ask, why is this institutional survey any different? And truly, what's in it for me?
Note well the name of this LANS survey. It is an "engagement" survey, not a lab "morale" survey. Its purpose is probably to determine how "engaged" the employees are with the corporate mission (whatever that may be). Once it has been determined that the employees are insufficiently "engaged" with the LANS mission, they'll be flogged and exhorted to drink more Kool Aid and get on board the LANS Express.
ReplyDeleteThese types of "engagement" survey are common in most for-profit corporations. No for-profit corporation is going to be willing to put out a survey that might allow their competitors to see that Mega-Global Corp really sucks when it comes to dealing with the job satisfaction of their serfs. That's not how the dog-eat-dog corporate world works.
It should be abundantly clear by now that LANS/Bechtel doesn't give a shit about employee morale, nor do they want to hear any of your complaints. They only thing they are interested in measuring is your compliance.
"Low Morale" doesn't quite describe the core problem. You can have "low morale" for a variety of reasons, for instance if you are overworked. The story is that any real work is now forbidden at LANL. Those of us who are still interested in getting something done, find this state of affairs highly depressing. For others here, the no-work-allowed policy actually leads to "high morale". They will return glowing surveys.
ReplyDelete9/1/09 11:09 AM got it exactly right. That post was so on point, it's worth repeating, actually. Much of the big blocks of funding come from NNSA like clock-work and will continue to arrive whether LANL produces much of anything or not. All NNSA wants is zero safety and security problems
The easiest way to achieve zero safety and security problems is to not do any actual work. Stop all experiments, cut the internet cable. They don't like to say it in the open (although Nanos was pretty open about this), but that's effectively the environment they have been implementing. With everything being classified, who knows what's actually happening? How do we know the weapons would still explode? There's no testing, so no way to fail. The director goes to Washington every year, says "everything's ok, the stockpile's in great shape. Plus, there are no incidents to report." Things're awesome, dude!
What NNSA is doing here is defrauding the taxpayer, on a massive scale. And the answer is no to close LANL, it has some pretty unique capabilities and a job to do, but to eliminate NNSA. Just eliminate it, not reform or replace.
The way the no-work policy is implemented is through a system of fear, on all levels. Fear that by doing something, or by authorizing something, you may violate some rule and get in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI can see what LANS gets out of this no-work arrangement with NNSA: free money to disburse amongst the parent corporations each fiscal quarter.
ReplyDeleteI don't see what NNSA gets out of the arrangement. LANL essentially has one mission these days: produce pits. But LANL is not producing any pits. Why does NNSA still keep sending the money here?
8/31/09 7:54 PM wrote:
ReplyDelete"Great timing on this. We learned today that Mikey's attack dog Brett Knapp tossed out his WT-Division Leader Chris Romero, eliminated WT-Division, and has given all remaining WT-Division employees (what's left( to his fair-haired and look alike W-Division Leader John Benner, Knapp just keeps on proudly mounting minorities and women on his office wall. Don't let Benner fool you, he also has a complete disregard and a low opinion of women and minorities, not to mention a bad case of egomania. Knapp and Benner are conspiring to rule the Lab one day."
Chris Romero is hardly an innocent bystander in all of this. He was Brett's hatchet man in WT and ran off/shipped a number of people to TA-55 and is being rewarded. He is just a big an a-hole as the rest of them.
Here is an hypothesis for 12:10 PM.
ReplyDeleteNNSA personnel get promotions for handing out the money that they have been given and for not getting complaints about giving out money. They have moved the money from one side of their desk to the other and then out of the building. They will then be promoted for doing their job.
This is what they get.
Thoughts?
There is a way for LANL to make money.
ReplyDelete1. Plant lots of trees outside empty offices.
2. Claim the trees as carbon credits
3. When the trees get big, cut them down, build offices from them, and start again.
;-)
no, they cut down the trees and throw them into plastic bags to be hauled off to the rio rancho landfill.
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought, how about management doing something about that big pile of shit at the "intestine czech point" or is it a diversion to not be able to smell the other pile of shit coming from LANS corporate money grabbing activities, or does anyone give a shit about a smelly pile of shit at the $23M fleecing? Now that George Carlin is dead we have no one to write "shit" jokes anymore.......... somebody has to
ReplyDeleteOK, speaking of trees and landfills.
ReplyDeleteRemember a couple years ago we were all being flogged about not putting sensitive information into the recycle bins, because god-knows-who might be handling our paper when it got to the recycle facility in Albuquerque?
Well, if you look at last year's Pollution Prevention awards, there's a verrrrrry interesting entry called "Elimination of Sensitive Unclassified Paper Waste."
This team basically decided that the Lab could stop shredding the paper that goes into the UNCLASSIFIED burn boxes. Instead, "LANL's sensitive unclassified waste would be outsourced to a commercial shredding company." As a result, "155 tons or 90% of the previously buried paper was recycled" instead of being buried in the landfill.
Got that, everybody? You need to diligently separate your sensitive unclassified papers from your regular recycle, so it can be sent to Albuquerque for recycling.
Security always!
www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/
ReplyDeletec2.cgi?075+article+News+20090902163001075075002
* Main checkpoint at LANL reduced to one guard *
Los Alamos Monitor, Sept 2, 2009
By ROGER SNODGRASS, Monitor Editor
The main entrance into Los Alamos National Laboratory at Jemez Road and Diamond Drive is about to become more fluid for thousands of laboratory employees and other motorists.
Beginning on Sept. 26, several lanes will be open to through traffic without a guard to wave the vehicle through.
“The vast. majority of vehicles that come on lab property through that post, are of size and configuration that does not constitute a credible threat,” said LANL spokesperson Kevin Roark. “It’s mostly people coming to work in cars.”
-------
So why did NNSA spend millions for this messy monstrosity and put the County through hell by building a massive check point that after only two years will no longer be used?
Please, Dr. Chu, President Obama, somebody... put NNSA out of their misery by killing off this broken and idiotic agency!
This type of efficiency is being promulgated across the laboratory. Last week I was notified that I was going to have to pay for a full time procedure reader for the work performed at TA55. The job of this person is to sit there and read the procedure while the staff are performing the work. Unfortunately, my choice to fill the position was the $400K plus staff member.
ReplyDeleteFew people seem willing argue against the position that LANL is much worse off now under the NNSA and the for-profit Bechtel-led corporation than it was under DOE and the non-profit contract years (excepting that brief period during the Nanos-led reign of terror, naturally).
ReplyDeleteThe simple fact is that NNSA has been given free reign to do with LANL whatever they choose. The real question is why? I'm betting the military industrial lobbying is the answer. And you'll never lose a bet by following the money.
"Last week I was notified that I was going to have to pay for a full time procedure reader for the work performed at TA55. The job of this person is to sit there and read the procedure while the staff are performing the work." (6:54 AM)
ReplyDeleteThis is the improved efficiency that LANS promised when they took over?
Unbelieveable! It's no wonder that the staff member reading out those procedures now costs well over $400K per year due to the enormous overhead with stuff like this happening.
to 10:29
ReplyDeleteIf you follow the money, you will only know how this bet turned out not what the bet was about. Only in knowing what the bet was about will you know how to bet in the next game.
The current bet appears to be much more complex than 'military industrial complex.'
In standard bets, you have to see not only the money that was passed across the table but also the money that changed hands among the spectators if you want to understand the bet.
Talk to me about the money in the hands of the spectators and I will listen more closely.
Just a thought.
Eric,
ReplyDeletePlease give it a rest. Your ramblings are getting more and more out there.
"Thoughts?"
6:11 pm:
ReplyDeleteAmen, brother.
6:11
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
content and fact free as usual.
giving strong support for NNSA's decision to cripple LANL as useless.
This type of efficiency is being promulgated across the laboratory. Last week I was notified that I was going to have to pay for a full time procedure reader for the work performed at TA55. The job of this person is to sit there and read the procedure while the staff are performing the work. Unfortunately, my choice to fill the position was the $400K plus staff member.
ReplyDelete9/3/09 6:54 AM
Move over Pantex and Y-12, LANS is now officially a Nuclear Production Plant. We will be using Brett Knapp's discarded W-Division TSMs at TA-55 as procedure readers.
Hell, try coming to work at TA-48, you know, the place where Mary Neu is the Responsible AD in charge. We have planned power outages - shut everything down per instructions by our lovely risk-averse FOD, must be done by 5pm and everyone must leave - only to come in the next morning to find out that not only did the power outage not happen, but the FOD workers sure got their pay AND we will have to do it all again. Quality craftsmanship. Boy am I glad we have the new FOD model with all the crack workers from KSL hired on. Things are SO much better under LANS.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it possible that the facilities maintenance at LANL could getting any worse. However, ever since LANS decided to bring KSL workers in-house, it has become much worse.
ReplyDeleteAlmost everything around LANL seems to be falling apart, and yet nothing ever gets fixed once it is broken. Perhaps LANS upper management is hoping that the poor facility conditions will finally start to drive out more of the remaining scientists.
I know who YOU are 6:54 a.m! LOL.
ReplyDeleteThis type of efficiency is being promulgated across the laboratory. Last week I was notified that I was going to have to pay for a full time procedure reader for the work performed at TA55. The job of this person is to sit there and read the procedure while the staff are performing the work. Unfortunately, my choice to fill the position was the $400K plus staff member.
ReplyDelete9/3/09 6:54 AM
Honestly, what do you expect since Bechtel took over? They brought in Pantex and SRS managers to run TA-55. We were told these people were experts in managing nuclear facilities. What has improved? Absolutely nothing! Ask any person at TA-55 and they will tell you: costs have gone up and productivity has gone down. Procedures take 3-4 months to get through the new "Conduct of..." system, we are now required to have readers for some procedures, an integrated schedule where we have to schedule plant activities 3 weeks out, or else. They are trying to run us like a Ford factory but TA-55 is anything but routine work. It's more R&D yet we are having the "production mentality" shoved down our throats by the FOD.
They are trying to run us like a Ford factory but TA-55 is anything but routine work. It's more R&D yet we are having the "production mentality" shoved down our throats by the FOD.
ReplyDelete9/3/09 9:59 PM
I guess 9:59 PM didn't get the LANS memo. LANL is no longer here for R&D. It's to become a pit *PRODUCTION* factory. Nuff' said?
Yes, this is correct. There are all of those people on overhead funding. Their employment is basically tenured. Then there all of those D student Bechtelites who were brought here at salaries that they would never have achieved elsewhere. They are also basically tenured.
ReplyDeleteReal world, ha ha ha ha - can you imagine any of those lazy fucks working for a pubic company? The bold fact of the manner is that they are at LANS for the reasons
1 - use race policies to cover for incompetence
2 - lazy
3- unemployable in real world, even at McDonalds
What is even funnier is some of them even get churned out with nowhere to go
LANL is about the only place I know of where a barely educated high school graduate can get a nice job at the lab, move up the SSM ladder, and soon be making over $75 k per year with great benefits. To make matters even more interesting, some of the people on overhead charge codes don't even have much work to do. They have basically retired in place.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the research TSMs with an FTE rate now approaching $500k are threatened by management to bring in more funding and to work harder under the LANS highly unproductive and restrictive environment, or else their jobs are at risk.
It's a sick situation that is guaranteed to run more of the lab's best scientists out the exits.
"Chris Romero is hardly an innocent bystander in all of this. He was Brett's hatchet man in WT and ran off/shipped a number of people to TA-55 and is being rewarded. He is just a big an a-hole as the rest of them."
ReplyDeleteExactly. Knapp doesn't discriminate. He screws anyone and everyone in the name of advancing exactly one and only one thing - Bret Knapp. Romero no longer serves his purposes so was thrown overboard with the rest. Frankly the fact that Romero ever lead a Division should tell you something about the low quality of management at Los Alamos these days.
So where does Romero end up? I thought he was a pretty good guy back when he was working as an engineer.
ReplyDeleteHere is a few of people that Knapp and Benner CRUSHED in W-Division. Knapp USED Rodriquez and Romero to protect himself from any lawsuits.
ReplyDeleteHeck, let's all go the picnic and congratulate Bret and Mikey on a job well done!!!
Joe Bowden (W78- forced out of position, left the lab), Fred Bryant (W76-forced out of his position on the UK Program and left the lab), Keith Axler (B53, W76-forced out of position and left the lab ), Mike Garcia (W76-forced out of position), Manny Martinez (B61-left the weapon program), Mercedes Castello (Gas Transfer Systems-quit the lab), Art Romero (B61-forced out of position), Vince Trujillo (B61-possibly forced out, left his system engineer position on the B61), David Trujillo (W80/B61, forced out his job and retired), Ray Valicenti (W88), Brain Smith (W88-forced of of position), Kevin Smale (W88), Art Salgado (Weapon Quality-forced out of position), Kay Matsumoto (Weapon Analysis-forced out of position), Brian Aubert (Weapons Analysis Group Leader-forced out of position), Zana Konecni (Weapon Analysis-forced out of position), Sharif Heger (Weapon Vulnerability-forced out of position) Rick Hinkley (B61-forced out of position), Rick Romero (Weapon Quality-forced out of position), Rick Larson (Military Liasion-left the lab), Lloyd Montoya (B61-left the lab), Bob Oakagawa (Gas Transfer Systems-left the lab), Ron Barber (B61, W88-forced out of position), Tom Spatz (W88-left the lab), Luan Walker (B61-forced out of position and retired).
Anonymous at 9/5/09 9:27 AM lists a bunch of people who were "forced out" of W Division.
ReplyDeleteI know most of the individuals listed. A few are in fact "first-rate" engineers. BUT, many of them should have been run out of LANL a long time ago.
Ahhh, in the spirit of Labor Day, it is nice to see LANS management going back to the good ole days of abusive labor conditions, people dying on the job, and punitive actions for speaking up. I am surprised they haven't force employees to have their kids work for nothing as well....
ReplyDelete9:27 makes an interesting argument about Knapp. Still, the list of "white" people (both men and women) who have been abused by this bastard is just as long. Still, I find the argument that Knapp hired Romero and Rodriguez to protect himself from charges of racism to be compelling. Frankly, given his long career of abuse and incompetence, nothing he does would surprise me. I hope the bad karma cops catch up with him.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Mikey recently promoted Knapp says all you need to know about how he really feels about LANL and its employees.
ReplyDeleteWhere is this LANS "engagement survey"? I've yet to see it.
ReplyDeleteSurvey came out today. Perhaps Frank can get a copy of the questions and post them so that the world can see the responses. The best question came at the end and asked (paraphrasing) "how do you find out about things going on at LANL?"
ReplyDeleteWhy, the LANL blog, of course!
LANS forgot to send me a copy of the survey. If someone could forward it that would be great!
ReplyDelete7:16 pm- I gave the same answer: LANL blog.
ReplyDeleteSame here... "blogs". Where else but the blogs can you find out about the "incredible progress" that LANS is making at LANL.
ReplyDelete