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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

LLNL unofficial RIFs

Anonymously contributed:

I am hearing that Global Security, NIF and other departments are laying off small groups of people citing funding cuts.
Does anyone informed or affected care to give detail?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Layoffs are no longer required. They're too expensive!

It's easier just to make up "for cause" reasons and then fire people. Welcome to the world of private, for-profit management, Bechtel style.

Anonymous said...

Looks like 700 - 800 will be "escorted" out the gates at LANL.

Anonymous said...

Global Security has informed some matrixed support personnel they are no longer needed. The matrixing organization game them 2 weeks to find an opportunity withing LLNL. Question: There is work to be done; that has not changed! WHat is killing LLNL is these LLNS mid-level managers sucking up all the resources!

Anonymous said...

"The matrixing organization game them 2 weeks to find an opportunity withing LLNL."

What happens after two weeks
(if you fail to find another job) ??

Anonymous said...

McMillan is giving us the long weekend and Holiday to relax and freshen-up before his All-hands Meeting on Tuesday to bid 750 employees bye-bye and tell us it's been nice knowing us but LANL is not a welfare program for Northern New Mexico natives. As usual, 1/3 of the workforce (i.e. Managers) and Becthel employees are protected.

February 17, 2012 12:54 AM

Oh yeah, I forgot, he's going to do it Charlie "MIT" McMillan style, in numbered order:

1. 750 employees "bye-bye"
2. It's been nice knowing you but LANL is not a welfare program for Northern New Mexico natives.
4. 1/3 of the workforce (i.e. Managers) and Becthel employees are protected.

Anonymous said...

what happens after 2 weeks: termination.

Anonymous said...

LLNL 2008 all over again. Glad I cut my losses and got out of there when I did. There are still good employers out there who appreciate the skills most LLNL employees have. Unfortunately you may have to leave Ca. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Any word on which area those 750 people to be RIF'ed at LANL will be coming from? Will the recently created Directorate of capitol projects survive? Doesn't look likes it is even needed any longer.

Also, any word on whether they'll be giving severance to those laid off or has McMillian managed to remove that from the plan being executed by the LANS executives?

Loss of the $300 million from CMRR shut-down and subsequent layoffs will also mean fewer employees paying their 6% to the TCP1 pension and additional pension loss from the 8% "pension tax" on projects.

Expect that (a) your take-home salary will soon go down, again, as you cough up more to support the TCP1 pension and (b) project funding will do less and less real work as the "pension tax" is raised, again, to make up for the loss of the tax on the $300 million in CMRR funds.

I think the word to describe this situation at LANL is bleak. Our New Mexico Congressional delegation did nothing to stop this attack on LANL by the Obama administration and their anti-nuke friends over at LASG (Greg Mello).

Anonymous said...

1. 750 employees "bye-bye"
2. It's been nice knowing you but LANL is not a welfare program for Northern New Mexico natives.
4. 1/3 of the workforce (i.e. Managers) and Becthel employees are protected.

February 17, 2012 1:01 AM

Urgent Message from Charlie "MIT" McMillan

Oh yeah, I forgot 3.

3. We (LANS) will be charging $24.99 plus tax for each cardboard box you use for your personal belongings.

Anonymous said...

The rotten 2X4s holding up the Los Alamos housing market is gonna cave-in when McMillan announces massive layoffs on Tuesday. It's too late folks, you had 4-years to out of that "hell hole on the hill".

Anonymous said...

Our New Mexico Congressional delegation did nothing to stop this attack on LANL by the Obama administration and their anti-nuke friends over at LASG (Greg Mello).

February 17, 2012 2:18 PM

Why is everyone blaming Greg Mello for causing this? Not that I like Mello, but LANS sold us out on this. They caved-in and told DOE/NNSA they could manage requirements with existing "tin sheds".

Anonymous said...

Suck it up, guys. This kind of crap has happened repeatedly over the years, most apparently since the end of the cold war. But even before then, there were major RIFs, like back in the early 80's when energy research went belly-up. If you insisted on thinking of a career at LANL as permanent, you are a fool. If you are good and your skills are transferable, you are ok. If not, too bad, so sad. You screwed up on the whole career planning thing.

Anonymous said...

I haven't heard of RIF's at LLNL or in GS. It would not surprise me if they are sending back matrixed people however. I heard this might be happening in S. But layoffs for those people would probably shortly follow if there is not enough work to go around. And what I am hearing in GS budget situation is not good. As a LLNL RIF survivor, I feel for the LANL folks if they are going to get RIF'ed. A very pleasant experience indeed.

Anonymous said...

If you insisted on thinking of a career at LANL as permanent, you are a fool. If you are good and your skills are transferable, you are ok. If not, too bad, so sad. You screwed up on the whole career planning thing.

February 17, 2012 7:26 PM

There is no such thing as "careers" at LANS/LLNS. That concept was eliminated when Bechtel "took over". Come to think if it, there are no job advertisements for real jobs at LANS. And come Tuesday, some folks won't even have jobs. Since last December, the only position they are recruiting for is Post Docs. LANS/LLNS are nothing more than "sweat shops". Sorry about being so positive.

Anonymous said...

LANS/LLNS are nothing more than "sweat shops". Sorry about being so positive.

February 18, 2012 3:39 AM

LANS/LLNS are nothing more than "prisons".

Seig Hecker (Former Lab Director Emeritus, Director of the Hoover Institute, Independent Inspector for Weapons of Mass Destruction)

Anonymous said...

It's funny how Hecker is now a Lab critic. He used to hammer employees that were critics during his Directorship.

Anonymous said...

It's funny how Hecker is now a Lab critic. He used to hammer employees that were critics during his Directorship.

February 18, 2012 3:24 PM

You are one who always feels "hammered" by his bosses, right? Or maybe you're just always "hammered."

Anonymous said...

"Layoffs? This is going to be soooo much fun!"

-- Brett Knapp, Future LANL Director 'in-waiting'


"Sure, I helped stab LANL in the back with my turn-coat actions and weak defense of CMRR. Heck, if you made over $2 million per year as lab Director, you'd do just about anything, too!"

-- LANL's Director McMillan


"CMRR is vital and a 'must-have' for our nuclear weapons infrastructure.... uh, just a minute, I have a call coming in from the White House... this just in: CMRR is completely unnecessary. Dump it!"

-- Captain Tom D'Agostino, NNSA


"CMRR? What's that? And what's a nuclear weapons lab? I can't waste my time with this unimportant stuff. I've got to get to work at procuring hundreds of millions to sent out to political contributors like Solyndra!"

-- Dr. Chue, DOE

Anonymous said...

Los Alamos Monitor headline sometime in late 2013:

"US housing outlook improves but home foreclosures increase dramatically up on the Hill"


If you own a home in Los Alamos that you thought about unloading, it's too late. The real estate market on the Hill is about to come to a screeching halt.

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