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Memo to SNL Non-Represented Employees re Salary Freeze
Colleagues –
On March 9, 2011, I communicated to you that certain aspects of the salary freeze previously announced by the Secretary of Energy were under review by DOE. I am very pleased to announce that the Secretary has decided to authorize a 1.5 percent base salary special adjustment fund for calendar year 2011. This fund was approved to help achieve parity with the salary adjustments received by Federal employees through legislated “STEP” increases. This 1.5 percent authorization is in addition to the previously authorized base salary funds for promotions and special adjustments, as long as the total amount does not exceed our previously approved CY11 compensation increase plan amount. Salary increases from this authorization will be retroactive to December 31, 2010, the original effective date of the previously planned salary increases.
This authorization will allow us to provide the base salary increases that had been approved and communicated last December. Per the DOE guidance, the base salary adjustments will be retroactive to December 31, 2010, for active, non-represented employees. Our plan is to have managers re-communicate the salary adjustments during the period from April 5th through April 13th. The new base salaries will be reflected in the April 14th pay statements and the retroactive payments in the April 28th pay statements.
I commend the Secretary and the DOE for taking this action. This action certainly helps to address the unintended impacts of the salary freeze. While supporting the Secretary’s prior decision, we have continued to communicate to the NNSA leadership our concerns about the impact of the salary freeze on the Laboratories’ workforce. I acknowledge the Secretary’s willingness to review these issues and take the appropriate steps to address the concerns that had been communicated to the DOE leadership.
I want to thank you for your continued support and patience on this issue. We will provide additional implementation details to managers over the next few days.
Regards,
Paul
22 comments:
An adjustment to the base... that means it accrues for retirement calculations and future salary actions...
Well done, Paul.
Now George, your team beat our Paul, head-to-head, to run LLL.
Surely the technical contributors of LLNL are as worthy as our Sandia brethren.
What say you, George? Can you do as well?
Expect a very similar announce from George for LLNL very soon. I heard about this 1.5% for contractors a few weeks ago. Sec Chu has been under a whole lot of pressure from the national lab directors, especially the science labs like SLAC and LBNL.
Its been a poorly kept secret if you know who to talk to in upper mgmt. The big holdup was for those inside DOE to find a face saving way for Chu to undo the contractor salary freeze. DOE (and Dr. CHU) has been at the visible forefront of national responses to several major disasters - Gulf Oil, Japan Nuclear problems) - and this may allow him to reverse course by saying DOE contractor employees are too important to risk losing by freezing their pay.
Seems unlikely for LLNL...since we just got 1.5% distributed on Friday as one-time, non-base-building lump sum.
April 4, 2011 $:18 AM
The two - variable incentive (1.5% bonus) and the 1.5% salary increase - are not directly related. The LLNL site office has already bought off on both.
Maybe you have inside information, but as far as I know the only approved Variable Compensation Programs at LLNL are:
1) SPB Strategic Performance Bonus, 1.5% across the board, which was given friday.
2) IPB Individual Performance Bonus which will be given in May-June timeframe.
Both of these are one-time, non-base building bonuses. Nothing to the base! No help to pension calculation or building of base upon which future raises will stack.
If there's a separate 1.5% base-building salary increase coming...that would be GREAT. But I don't see any indications of that.
Can anyone report about this plan from the Los Alamos Stalag 1663?
Anastasios all hands today was mostly political speak. He did briefly mention that LANL is trying to get all the facts. Late to the ballgame as usual. Talked about the new PADCAP org. Position is capital construction projects led be yet another Bechtel hack.
I think if we get any raise it will not be the full allocated amount. LANL already spent some of the raise funds on infrastructure once they found out they could keep it. The freeze was announced back in January and then LANL diverted the raise funds to other stuff and now are trying to extricate themselves out of the hasty decision.
Sounds like Mikey let the Bechtelites get ahold of the sequestered raise money and they all made off with it back to the Bechtel "mother ship", per the usual.
No raises at LANL? What gives here?
LANS hasn't even made mention of what is happening at LLNL and SNL!
Los Alamos looks like just another jerkwater southern company town being gutted by carpetbaggers from bectel and livermor. Get used to it.
April 6, 2011 8:15 PM
If by "gutted" you mean some of the best schools in the country, the highest-educated county in the country, essentially zero crime, a vibrant arts community, beautiful natural scenery, a great hospital with a full compliment of medical professionals, abundant hiking, mountain biking, and skiing opportunities, and access to the most incredible chile peppers in the world, then I agree.
All brought to you by years of kickbacks to the county from DOE, now going into the pockets of riley bechtel and his buds.
You whiners better nip it in the bud if you want to have any chance of getting an invite to Riley Bechtel's famous Bohemian Grove bacchanal fest come July.
I wonder what new schemes the top Bechtelites will be hatching at the Grove this year?
All brought to you by years of kickbacks to the county from DOE, now going into the pockets of riley bechtel and his buds.
April 7, 2011 8:19 PM
HaHaHaHa. It wasn't "kickbacks," you knuckleball, it was "payment in lieu of taxes" i.e., the feds paid no taxes, either property or gross receipts (i.e., sales) taxes to Los Alamos County for decades. So, the county got a subsidy for schools to make up for it. The rest I mentioned is purely the result of a community that cares about itself and its children, plus a location that has yours beat in spades. We invite you to live here, as opposed to whatever hell hole you now inhabit.
I don't regard Los Alamos as a desirable place to live. Home values have fallen dramatically, in fact many homes have mortgages that exceed the value. Most if not all private business have left Los Alamos, in fact the White Rock business row literally looks like a ghost town. There is one restaurant in White Rock and it is a "roach coach". Los Alamos has no economic, cultural, or ethnic diversity. There are almost nothing to do in Los Alamos except go to McDonalds for dinner. The town and people are very isolated. It's a one company town where your next door neighbors are either your Group Leader or your office mate. The winters (Dec. through March) are brutally cold, 7-months of winter.
Which is why more than half the employees choose to live off the hill !
Which is why more than half the employees choose to live off the hill !
April 10, 2011 1:53 PM
If you were referring to the non-Hispanic employees, your comment would be meaningful (but untrue).
"April 10, 2011 10:56 AM:"
10:56 AM has it exactly right. The only restaurant within 75 miles is Mc Donalds. There is no diversity only white male Christians. Not single store is open on the weekends and I have only seen one gas-station. There are no parks, trails, or any kind of recreational activities. Oh and you have to go to Colorado to Ski. And the people are WEIRD! As for the low crime thing, hell that is weird as well, a normal town should have some real crime. The thing that really pisses me off is that there is not enough bars.
Of course Livermore has its own problems. First of all it is in California which means every single person is a long-haired hippie liberal and there are only vegetarian restaurants. And the people are WEIRD! You have to drive hours to see snow. What kind of place has no seasons? As for culture... you have to go to San Fransico!!! I swore I would never set foot in San Francisco. God help me.
10:56 AM has it exactly right. The only restaurant within 75 miles is Mc Donalds. There is no diversity only white male Christians. Not single store is open on the weekends and I have only seen one gas-station. There are no parks, trails, or any kind of recreational activities. Oh and you have to go to Colorado to Ski.
April 11, 2011 7:50 PM
You obviously don't live in Los Alamos. THere are at least 25 restaurants in LA. Some are open only for lunch, but many are open for dinner too. Blue Window, Central Avenue Grill, Hill Diner are just a few really good restaurants. Black and Asian residents abound. Don't forget the large segment of Hispanics in LA. Two hardware stores, two clothing and department stores, two auto parts stores, the major supermarket, a home decorating store, a great kitchen/cooking shop, the Bradbury Science Museum Bookstore, a Hallmark store, a stationery store, a florist, Starbucks, etc., are all open on weekends (at least Saturday, most on Sunday too). There are at least 5 gas stations in LA, more in White Rock. Dozens of parks scattered around town, with kid-friendly playgrounds, tennis courts, running tracks. An olympic-quality indoor pool open to the public. An extensive network of hiking trails, plus a highly rated local ski hill (which admittedly does not mane snow, and nearby skiing in Santa Fe and Taos (world-class), well south of Colorado.
So, the 4/11 7:50 pm poster either has never been to Los Alamos or is a complete liar.
The only restaurant within 75 miles is Mc Donalds.
April 11, 2011 7:50 PM
Wow, that says it all about this post. Santa Fe is 35 miles away from Los Alamos, with many world-renowned restaurants to rival San Francisco, which is apparently the other target of this person's hate. I think the combination of misinformation, outright lies, and absolute craziness in this post should speak for itself. You don't like Los Alamos as a place to live, fine, don't live here. But please stop the stupidity, lies, and hatred.
So, the 4/11 7:50 pm poster either has never been to Los Alamos or is a complete liar.
April 12, 2011 7:39 PM
You just covered the entire Yellow Pages of White Rock and Los Alamos. All 5 pages of it!
So, the 4/11 7:50 pm poster either has never been to Los Alamos or is a complete liar.
April 12, 2011 7:39 PM
You just covered the entire Yellow Pages of White Rock and Los Alamos. All 5 pages of it!
April 15, 2011 7:22 PM
I just counted. It is 206 pages. Liar!!
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