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Major Loss of National Security Expertise at Sandia
New Mexico Business Weekly by Dennis Domrzalski, NMBW Staff
Date: Friday, January 13, 2012, 4:00am MST - Last Modified: Friday, January 13, 2012, 2:07pm MST
Sandia National Laboratories lost 428 people to retirement in fiscal year 2011, and it said good-bye to another 511 retirees in the first quarter of its 2012 fiscal year, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011.
Together, those retirements represent about 11 percent of the lab’s 8,600-person workforce. The numbers were supplied by Sandia, which explained that most retirees choose the final quarter of the year to carry out their departures. In 2011, the first of the baby boom generation hit age 65, and for years, there's been speculation that Sandia and other large employers would start to see retirements.
10 comments:
In 2011, the first of the baby boom generation hit age 65, and for years, there's been speculation that Sandia and other large employers would start to see retirements.
This wave was driven by a benefits change, not some demographic cliff.
Incisive reporting.
What was the benefit change, and how did it drive so many to retire?
Read it here: http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2011/10/26/news/no-retirement-exodus-at-sandia.html
The same article which describes the benefits change states there will be no exodus. Oops.
It was weird. The powers that be were clearly in denial. The company seemed worried that people would leave at the same time it gave them huge incentive to leave. It was leave this year or take a huge financial hit in your retirement health care costs -- gee, which would you choose?
Another example of NNSA/DOE allowing the Labs to dispose of nuclear weapon expertise, in spite of their glossy reports. It may well be that China and Russia have advanced their capability beyond the U.S. capability. All brought to you by for-profit LLCs.
"It was leave this year or take a huge financial hit in your retirement health care costs -- gee, which would you choose?"
The problem is that the health care benefits are not guaranteed after retirement (or, for that matter, before retirement). You can imagine, in this cost-cutting environment, that the health-care benefits for "existing" retirees might be on the table. So, retiring earlier might not bring someone their perceived level of protection.
It is imperative that the more seasoned scientific staff at our nuclear weapon labs leave so that there can be more positions created for critically needed Bechtel construction managers.
This need for construction managers is especially crucial now that it appears that most of the planned large capital construction projects (like the CMRR at LANL) will *never* be built due to shrinking funds.
Yes, a major loss of nation security expertise has, indeed, just occurred and will continue to occur. However, I'm confident that DOE/NNSA and their puppets in the now "for-profit" managed NNSA science labs will be able to cover it up with slick PR. No need to worry.
Carry on, remaining staff, and please remember to wear those "shoes that grip", especially given the bad PBI safety metrics this month due to all the melting snow and ice. Lab upper management are very concerned they won't be able to receive their 20% salary bonus next year if the PBI scores drop because of the current "slippage" catastrophe. Heavens!
No one is paying any attention to a minor issue like the loss of critical scientific expertise at America's once "crown jewel" nuclear weapon labs....
...they're all too worried about preparing for the approaching apocalypse, violent revolution and total collapse of Western civilization that appears to be approaching at FULL SPEED!
...they're all too worried about preparing for the approaching apocalypse, violent revolution and total collapse of Western civilization that appears to be approaching at FULL SPEED!
January 19, 2012 10:29 PM
That would be the upcoming Republican Primary, Right?
This might affect things too:
http://forum.sandiaemeritus.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=18
Contract rebid. Boeing?
Mr. Adam Rowen (manager of the Materials Chemistry department) from Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore does not have a Ph.D.
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