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I was laid off from Livermore Lab on May 22, 2008, after almost 20 years of service. The Lab denies age discrimination; however, time and time again they ignored their own lay-off policies. Instead of using an inverse order of seniority in which layoffs are determined by job classification based on the Lab's population as a whole, the Lab used a convoluted process in which the layoff decisions were made at the smallest possible level within each and every department (sometimes down to a unit of 2!). This made it easier to target who could be let go. Many older workers were "set up" by being moved into affected units prior to the lay-off, and their positions were then filled with much younger workers. There was also a large enough population of contract and supplemental workers that a lay-off of career Lab employees should have been unnecessary.
The vast majority of those laid off were older workers. We were too young to retire, but too old to easily find other employment (it took me two years to find a part-time job). Many have still not found work and are on the brink of bankruptcy. Although I now have a job that I love, to this day, I feel like I've been raped. The losses that I and the other laid-off workers have suffered are staggering. Our attorneys have prepared a youtube video, which gives just a small taste of what we have experienced. Please watch.
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23 comments:
Most people may not understand how things were manipulated.
One may recall, that after the 2007 transition, there were massive reorganizations everywhere to put everyone in a box on the org chart (for future termination). This was follow by (subjectively) excluding 40% of the employee. With this kind of process, one can target and layoff anyone they desire. Example: if you are moved into a box (business unit) of one, then you are the least senior. Therefore (following seniority policy), you are layoff by being the employee with least seniority.
This is the link to the YouTube video of 5 of the 130 plaintiffs of the 2008 lay off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5xc2TGJkX0
They had better have some documentation of either discrimination or the lab breaking its own policy. That video showed nothing of either case. I knew folks that were laid off whom I thought were high contributors to the lab. I saw dead weight going out the door as well. The woman in the video that states she started at the lab at 17, her husband died on the job and her daughter works at the lab - all to show loyalty. That's fine, maybe use that as penalty phase, if the suit makes it that far.
I am curious, does anyone know of someone in the management side who was laid off, or was it only the worker bees?
As soon as the plan to privatize was theannounced,Llnl senior management rolled over and began to make it easier for the new llc to layoff. every manager I dealt with,from group leads to department heads,were on the bandwagon and never sympathized with employrres'concerns. no manager ever said it was a bad idea! those were the times when risk-aversion became stronger!
the idea was to shut up and follow from there on!
After viewing the link, I think I understand why some of the people were laid off.
After viewing the link, I think I understand why some of the people were laid off.
February 20, 2012 7:05 PM
You mean because they all had gray hair. That's how LLNS viewed them. LLNS/LLNS want goovey looking dudes like Charlie "Grecian Formula" McMillan and Brett "Hot Rod" Knapp.
I wish Charlie would decide if wants to look like Donald Sutherland with the gray hair or Pierce Bronson with the dark dyed brown hair. I'm sure he's at his sink right now painting his hair with Just for Men. Take a look at his hands in the "All-hands", they will be the same color as his hair.
When will all the unfortunate, soon to be laid-off employees at LANL start posting their YouTube videos?
You should not be so worried about what's on the outside of his head - just the inside. Given the choice between a bald DIR that was able to take care of the employees and one with a full dye job that wasn't up to the job, who would you prefer?
I'm glad these people had a chance to reiterate their feelings. The 'perp walk' folks were subjected to was an insult that was no doubt some HR expert's 'best practice'. Do they actually have a legal case? Won't be surprised if they do not.
1800 good LLNL people were laid off and put in great and continuing suffering because certain Congressmen, Dingle and Domenici, as well as NNSA and DOE leadership jackals wanted to hurt LLNL, whose independence and success they envied.
By insisting on privatizing LLNL unnecessarily for errors that LANL supposedly made but was later largely exonerated for, NNSA leaders, Bodman, D'Agostino, were able to insure about $100M of LLNL Operating funds are wasted each year, and therefore not available to support current work. The negative financial impact (profit, taxes, retirement and medical cost increases)or privatization were well known and talked about openly prior to implementing the transition.
The liars said " false economies" would make up the difference,what they meant was firing these people.
The "perp walk" was LLNL Human Resources thrust into the employee gangbang, marching these fine people out, under guard, with no notice, as if they couldn't be trusted. What a life shattering experience.
It is a sad and shameful episode in LLNL history. The victims still suffer, the real perps walk fat and free, in the DOE, NNSA, LLNL human resources and in LLNL management.
It stunk.
It is a smaller and less effective lab as a result, with about 3,000,000 FEWER MANHOURS worked each year, BUT with NO SAVINGS TO THE TAXPAYER... the same funds now are wasted on profit for the LLC, higher medical and pension costs and new taxes.
IT IS THE WORST DECISION DOE HAS EVER MADE, WITH A LONG TERM COST MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SOLYDRA FOLLY.
Just because some little men were jealous.
I am glad this is being tried in front of a Northern California jury. Here jurors have a broader sense of justice than just the letter of the law.
It will weigh heavily on the jury that LLNL management readjusted policies just before the layoffs from seniority to "need based" and then proceeded to layoff a disproportionate number of older folks and minorities.
But what will really piss of the jurymen, sitting for weeks in a trial under their own personal federal duress, is that all of this will have been hurt for no reason, that nothing was saved for the taxpayer, that the funds were merely, as it were "tossed into the wind".
My guess is that jurors, once informed, will want a taste of revenge and they will get justice by throwing a giant settlement to those injured. A nice $1M each, tripled for negligence damages, a cool $500M will slap the perpetrators, the b******d D"Agostino and the carpetbagging b***h, Soderstrom, awake.
Even if that happens, and it won't, the injured, who dedicated their work lives to the lab's mission are still injured.
For that I am sad.
Odd that a lab that values safety would deliberately hurt 1800.
NOTICE TO PLIANTIFFS: In the LANS All-hands, McMillan (I.e. LANS) made a comment about the RIF pain this caused a lot of people at Livermore. He also stated that this was a direction that LANS didn't want to go in view of the trial, etc. Basically, you had LANS/LLNS admit they caused the plaintiff's pain and suffering. I would think the plaintiff's would want to show the jury a recording of McMillan's comments. I suspect that LANS had already destroyed the video so you may need someone to provide what they heard at your trial. He really stepped in it! It was also obvious that McMillan was prompted at every word by a whole row of lawyers sitting up front. I had never seen the extent of this before.
My guess is that jurors, once informed, will want a taste of revenge and they will get justice by throwing a giant settlement to those injured. A nice $1M each, tripled for negligence damages, a cool $500M will slap the perpetrators, the b******d D"Agostino and the carpetbagging b***h, Soderstrom, awake.
February 22, 2012 2:12 AM
I wish this was the case, however, as in the Los Alamos RIF trial of ~ 1995, the jury just couldn't justify giving everyone a cool $1-2M each and go back to their jobs at McDonalds or cleaning toilets. In these tough times, I suspect this will even more true.
"NO SAVINGS TO THE TAXPAYER... the same funds now are wasted on profit for the LLC, higher medical and pension costs and new taxes."
You forgot about all the high paying Bechtel transplants
Notice how proud McMillan was to state, at least three times, that the "government" is paying for the VRIP. Sure that's it LANS/Bechtel, let the taxpayers pay for it! As long as LANS doesn't have to pick up the "tab".
Basically, you had LANS/LLNS admit they caused the plaintiff's pain and suffering.
First off, that was the CEO of LANS speaking. And I'm sure he would acknowledge the pain of all RIF-ed, not just the plaintiffs.
Second, no one would ever contest that a RIF caused pain and suffering. The point of law will be whether those RIF-ed were selected in an unfair, biased way. They definitely deserve their day in court, but I won't be surprised if they get little added recompense.
I wish Charlie would decide if wants to look like Donald Sutherland with the gray hair or Pierce Bronson with the dark dyed brown hair. I'm sure he's at his sink right now painting his hair with Just for Men. Take a look at his hands in the "All-hands", they will be the same color as his hair.
February 20, 2012 8:44 PM
You could tell he's using Grecian Formula now because his gray hair is showing through in the sun as a weird orange color.
You could tell he's using Grecian Formula now because his gray hair is showing through in the sun as a weird orange color.
February 23, 2012 1:01 AM
That's not Grecian Formula. It's the tritiated water!
Can anyone report where this trial is at? Was a decision made?
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