Anonymously contributed:
LANS Voluntary Separation Program - Excluded Categories
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DIR
DIR CFO-CNTL Financial Systems Analyst 4
DIR CFO-SYS Financial Systems Analyst 2
DIR CFO-SYS Financial Systems Analyst 3
DIR CFO-SYS Financial Systems Analyst 4
DIR CGA-GAO Government Affairs Specialist 3
DIR CGA-GAO Government Affairs Specialist 4
DIR DIR Executive Director
DIR EA-ARP1 Audit Manager 4
DIR EA-ARP1 Auditor 4
DIR EA-ARP2 Audit Manager 4
DIR EA-ARP2 Auditor 4
PADOPS
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Med Counselor 1
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Med Counselor 2
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Med Counselor 3
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Nurse 2
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Nurse 3
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Nurse 4
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Physician 3
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Psychologist 3
ADESH OM-MS Occupational Psychologist 4
ADESH OM-MS Physician Assistant 2
ADESH OM-MS Physician Assistant 3
ADNHHO ES-FE Engineer 1
ADNHHO ES-FE Engineer 2
ADNHHO ES-FE Engineer 3
ADNHHO ES-FE Engineer 4
ADNHHO FP-DO Fire Protection Engineer 1
ADNHHO FP-DO Fire Protection Engineer 3
ADNHHO FP-DO Fire Protection Engineer 4
ADNHHO SB-CS Criticality Safety Analyst 2
ADNHHO SB-CS Criticality Safety Analyst 3
ADNHHO SB-CS Criticality Safety Analyst 4
ADNHHO SB-EWM Safety Basis Analyst 2
ADNHHO SB-EWM Safety Basis Analyst 4
PADSTE
ADCLES C-IIAC Scientist 5
ADCLES C-NR Computing Systems Professional 3
ADCLES C-NR Program Manager 3
ADCLES C-NR R&D Manager 2
ADCLES C-NR Scientist 5
ADCLES C-NR Technical Project Manager 3
ADCLES C-PCS Scientist 6
ADCLES EES-17 Technical Project Manager 3
ADE AOT-OPS Operator 3
ADE AOT-OPS R&D Engineer 2
ADE AOT-RFE R&D Engineer 3
ADE PF-FS Machinist 3
ADE PF-FS Machinist 4
ADEPS LANSCE-LC Research Technologist 2
ADEPS LANSCE-LC Scientist 2
ADEPS LANSCE-LC Scientist 3
ADEPS LANSCE-NS Scientist 3
ADEPS MPA-CINT R&D Manager 3
ADEPS MPA-CINT R&D Manager 4
ADEPS MPA-CMMS R&D Manager 3
ADEPS MST-16 Research Tec 4
ADEPS MST-16 Research Tec 5
ADEPS MST-16 Research Technologist 1
ADEPS MST-7 Research Tec 3
ADEPS MST-7 Research Tec 4
ADEPS MST-8 Scientist 2
ADEPS P-23 Computing Systems Professional 3
ADEPS P-23 Scientist 2
ADEPS P-24 Computing Systems Professional 2
ADEPS P-25 Research Tec 3
ADEPS P-25 Research Technologist 1
ADTSC ACS-PO R&D Manager 5
ADTSC ACS-PO Scientist 2
ADTSC ACS-PO Scientist 3
ADTSC ACS-PO Scientist 4
PADSTE LDRD-PO Systems Programmer 3
PADSTE STBPO-RL Computing Systems Professional 2
PADSTE STBPO-RL Computing Systems Professional 3
PADWP
ADPSM NCO-1 Machinist 3
ADPSM NCO-1 Research Tec 2
ADPSM NCO-2 Process and Sampling Tec 2
ADPSM NCO-3 Research Tec 2
ADPSM NCO-5 Process and Sampling Tec 2
ADPSM NPI-2 Production Control Specialist 1
ADPSM NPI-2 Production Control Specialist 2
ADW W-11 R&D Engineer 1
ADW W-14 R&D Engineer 2
ADW W-16 R&D Engineer 3
ADW W-5 Engineering Technologist 1
ADW WX-2 Engineered Systems Tec 3
ADW WX-6 Scientist 2
ADW WX-7 Research Technologist 1
ADW XCP-1 Scientist 4
ADW XCP-7 Scientist 2
ADW XCP-9 Database Administrator 4
ADW XTD-3 Scientist 2
ADW XTD-6 Scientist 4
55 comments:
This is how the RIF will play out:
1. "Voluntary" layoff
2. "Involuntary" layoff
3. Lawsuits
Deja vu all over again.
There isn't one Line Manager (Associate Lab Director, Deputy Associate Directoe, Division Leader, Deputy Division Leader, Group Leader, Deputy Group Leader) that LANS wants to retain on the "excluded list". I guess this is a clear message to those folks, your worthless.
I work in Group ES-FM that has excluded the majority of their Engineers from the VRP. This organization "lead" by Dan Steinberg (alleged Division Leader) and Mel Burnett (No one knows he's job or title) is the worse organization I have been a part of in my 33-year career. Steinberg is a former Bechtel "boy" and God is he worthless, absolutely worthless! I mean this guy defines the word "incompetence".
Sorry that so many will be hurt and so many lives disrupted.
All because LANL pays $150M in fee and taxes it wouldn't pay if it had not been forced to become private.
A smooth Bush move.
Not to be unfair, patronage is a way of life for Chi-town politicians, Obama will get more electoral votes from Tennessee than he can get from New Mexico.
...more electoral votes from Tennessee than he can get from New Mexico.
ORNL patronage is due to Senator Alexander and colleagues. Tennessee is not nearly 'purple' enough to waste time trying to contest.
This "excluded list" is comprised of the most idiotic, irrational, insane, and incomprehensible "construct" I have ever seen. I mean how, why, and who? It defines LANS.
MST-Division Management should be ashamed of themselves. Let's hold-back our poorly paid technicians from retiring? Of all the world-class scientists in this Division, our lab technicians cannot be replaced? God forbid that we (Management) would hold back our scientists from retiring, let alone us MANAGEMENT. This isn't the most one-sided and destructive "exercise" I have ever. LANS is setting a new precedence for stupidity. LANS is making the Keystone Cops look like a fine-tuned organization.
I could have rolled the dice and come up with a list that makes more sense that this list. It's a hodge-podge of Management targeting specific individuals and then Managers in ES-Division saying "screw it, hold back the entire Group of Engineers, we don't time for this exercise". In fact, hodge-podge is the best description for what happened here.
Hodge-podge: is a word used to describe a confused or disorderly mass or collection of things; a "mess" or a "jumble".[1] The UK term is hotchpotch.
Yup, that's it!
McMillan has just walked down the Red Sea and made a very clear division between the Management and workers. He is making a very clear division between "us - Management" and "them - workers".
Charlie McMillan, Brett Knapp, Bechtel and the whole corrupt LANS upper management team doesn't give a rat's arse about the survival of science Los Alamos. This exclusion list should be sufficient proof of that.
And don't think this latest RIF will be the last. After getting rid of the expense of paying off a large chunk of severance with a simple stroke of a pen, the approaching involuntary layoffs and others that will follow will be much cheaper and easier to execute.
Once those "expensive" (Charlies' words) regular scientists have been fired and replaced with a rapid turn-over of cheap, low benefit post-docs, there will be plenty of extra money at LANL to begin raising the salaires of the LAN management team even higher. Oh, joy!!!!
Maybe some spin can help explain how LANL is moving toward a broader national security mission (more WFO) as quoted in Director McMillan's NYT interview, but not a single GS employee is worth being placed on this list!!!
After layoff in livermore Miller got a $58,000 bonus.
I fully expect that Charlie McMillan and Brett Knapp will be well rewarded for their treachery by the LANS Governors, have no doubt. These two men have no soul.
Perhaps they'll even get invitations to the huge party yacht, "Vixen", of LANS Governor Norm Pattiz or be invited to attend the next Bohemian Grove summer encampment courtesy of Riley Bechtel.
I have got to ask again, where are line Managers on this list. They have just screwed over a bunch of "excluded" workers and then "excluded" themselves from being "excluded". Now I know why they call it the "excluded" list.
I'm also told that Managers are informing any complaining worker on the excluded list that they are welcome to leave at any time, however, they (Line Management) will leave with 39-weeks of severance. WTF!!
LANS sent me an e-mail to inform me that I am on the excluded list. They also have it posted on MyLANL indicating "exluded". Today, they sent me a letter saying the same thing. Is the next step a personal one-on-one interview with Knapp telling me the same thing? LANS has a certain "shove it in your face" way about them. Is this the way Bechtel treats their employees, like trash?
I fully expect that Charlie McMillan and Brett Knapp will be well rewarded for their treachery by the LANS Governors, have no doubt. These two men have no soul.
March 6, 2012 5:31 PM
They also have no heart and compassion, unless it a brand new Bronze Porsche Cayenne or a Million dollar mansion in Los Alamos and/or/both Livermore.
Maybe some spin can help explain how LANL is moving toward a broader national security mission (more WFO) as quoted in Director McMillan's NYT interview, but not a single GS employee is worth being placed on this list!!!
March 6, 2012 8:55 AM
If you study the list carefully, while W-Division and X-Division is listed, it amounts to a handful of people maybe ten in total. The other 1,000 nuclear weapons scientists and engineers are free and encouraged to leave. McMillan and Knapp could give a shit if they were the only two weapons guys left, and you know what, that is their intent!
Are McMillan and Knapp ex-KGB double-agents deliberately trained since they were children to shut down the Los Alamos Nuclear Weapons Laboratory? It sure is beginning to look that way. Was it Igor McMillanski and Vladimir Knappinski? Da!
The other 1,000 nuclear weapons scientists and engineers are free and encouraged to leave.
Oh what nonsense. They are not encouraging everyone to leave. They are providing people a choice, so at least the free part is right. If so many weapon folks put in for VSP that it threatens the mission, then not all volunteers will be accepted.
Oh what nonsense. They are not encouraging everyone to leave. They are providing people a choice, so at least the free part is right. If so many weapon folks put in for VSP that it threatens the mission, then not all volunteers will be accepted.
March 6, 2012 8:46 PM
The "excluded" workers have a choice? Yes, two choices. 1. Stay in the LANS Stalag. 2. Leave at anytime with a zero severance. Nice treatment for people that have worked at LANL for more than 30-years. How long have you been here, 2 weeks?
I'm guessing more than 2 weeks, but that person is most likely on the excluded list. Does anyone really think 10% of the workforce will volunteer, and then many more after that, putting a mission in danger? Come on now, really, In this economy?
The best hope is that all the top talent comes up with an exit strategy of their own, then implements it after all the downsizing is done. That would certainly give a no-confidence vote to management.
Nice treatment for people that have worked at LANL for more than 30-years. How long have you been here, 2 weeks?
March 6, 2012 9:03 PM
Used to be that folks who worked at LANL for "more than 30 years" thought that just the prospect of the very generous pension (which is still available from LANS) was "nice treatment." Now you want severance too?
Gotta hand it to the Bechtel lawyers at LANS. They knew the haphazard way that the "eligibility" was assigned to each employee would surely result in numerous complaints--most of which would be legitimate. So they convinced LANS management to artificially reduce the amount of time available to turn in VSP applications. By doing that, management could then reason that, in order to adhere to the timeline, they would not have time to consider eligibility 'appeals' from that many employees. There was no way that this could be done fairly either. The lawyers' rather elegant solution? PROHIBIT ALL APPEALS! Case closed.
I've exhausted all means available to employees to grieve my eligibility status, and each one gives me the same story--no appeals.
Has anyone out there had SUCCESS at fighting these jerks and getting their eligibility changed? If so, please provide details.
Otherwise, my lawyers are also pretty clever and I'll be giving them another call.
OK Guys and Gals, lets stop bitching and do something positive. See the new blog at:
http://lanllayoffs2012.blogspot.com
New Blog for "Excluded" and otherwise impacted LANL employees.
Please post your comments there and signup if you would like to participate with other employees who are investigating what actions may be able to be taken to force the Laboratory to open the program to everyone.
RE: “I've exhausted all means available to employees to grieve my eligibility status, and each one gives me the same story--no appeals.”
Reply: We are getting the same story in ADHNNO. Fortunately, at least for now we can still "appeal" to the courts.
“Has anyone out there had success at fighting these jerks and getting their eligibility changed? If so, please provide details.”
Reply: No success as of yet, but we need to establish standing.
“Otherwise, my lawyers are also pretty clever and i'll be giving them another call”
There are plenty of grounds for us to get into court. It probably won't be to hard to find an attorney to take the case on contingency given the number of folks that appear to feel "disadvantaged" x number of years of service x average salary--that will be a pretty big number. However to get started we may have to pool resources (i.e. $) to get an injunction filed before April 5, 2011
Please see "plan of action" at
Http://lanllayoffs2012.blogspot.com
Lets all go there and make it happen
RE: "Used to be that folks who worked at LANL for "more than 30 years" thought that just the prospect of the very generous pension (which is still available from LANS) was "nice treatment." Now you want severance too?"
Reply: The issue here is not "wanting severance" It is the expectation of equal treatment and fair dealing" under the employment contract we have with LANS. (Yes there is a contract) It is not too hard to find cases of highly skilled technical personnel (who are not managers) who are excluded, while their (sometimes) less technically skilled managers are allowed to "volunteer".
When looking at the list of excluded "Functional Areas" it would not be too hard to make the argument that LANS has focused on the remaining senior and highly skilled, engineers, technicians, and scientists. Their argument is "we can't hire replacements". B.S. With enough money you can send men to the moon. (Well at least we used to be able to do that.) This is just another aspect of not funding the Lab and its Programs sufficiently. That will not change however, but the burden for that failure should not fall to the employees.
Additionally, it is not illogical to argue that excluding the highly paid technicians, engineers and scientists will reduce LANS Severance payout liability. (Which I understand is to come out of G&A, ie. LANS Profit) Do you think there might have been some consideration of that in arriving at the Excluded list?
However, this selection process of theirs may backfire against them. My gut feel is that many of the folks impacted by being "Excluded" are old fahrts such as my self. If so, we will be able to make a very good case for age discrimination.
(Which I understand is to come out of G&A, ie. LANS Profit)
The award fee is determined by NNSA. It is not like if there is $7M left over that automatically gets tacked on to LANS 'profit' distributed to the LLC partners. Unspent sponsor funds remain subject to their request for return, and the Lab cannot 'harvest' G&S until effort is expended and loaded labor rates applied.
Does excluded from Voluntary program (39 wk) mean reserved for fodder for a future involuntary RIF
(26 wk)? Brilliant!
the rationale for the excluded positions is unclear.
If the employees in these positions are very talented, then the average TC score for these employees should be higher than that for employees in non-excluded positions.
Well, then LANS says, it's not the employees, but the positions that they are in. These are mostly average employees, but we don't have that many of them and they are in important positions.
Ok., well if that's true, then then there should be significantly more postings for these excluded positions in the last 2 years, than for non-excluded positions. For example, the the excluded title/group combinations are 6% of all job titles/group combinations, we would expect a substantially higher percentage (than 6%) of postings to be from these select titles/group combos. If not, then what is the evidence that these people in these positions are so important that they must be excluded?
Do the math with your personal financial situation. The involuntary RIF with 26 weeks may be better financially than the voluntary RIF with 39 weeks assuming you are working at LANL for at least thirteen weeks after April 5th before being riffed. Severance is not pay, it is a dollar amount equal to your gross pay for one week times 39 or 26 weeks. Taxes are withheld from the severance amount. There are no pretax contributions and no matching contributions to the 401K, no pretax deductions for medical and child care plans, etc. For some people these amounts are significant in reducing your taxable income.
LANL Layoffs 2012 said...
Additionally, it is not illogical to argue that excluding the highly paid technicians, engineers and scientists will reduce LANS Severance payout liability. (Which I understand is to come out of G&A, ie. LANS Profit)
March 7, 2012 7:44 PM
Which totally erroneous statement removes all assumption of credibility or trust from you or your "new blog." Now you have to actually earn it. G&A accounts have absolutely nothing to do with LANS award fee. Get a clue before you set yourself up as some authority.
Ah, what does "Harvest G&A" fees mean. Would that be picking cucumbers?
LUNCH ANYONE? We have been told that the Fabulous 50's Dinner at 1325 Trinity Dr (That would be the American Legion Building--in Los Alamos) has a pretty good Green Chile Cheeseburger. Some of us might be there at 11:30 today (Thursday 3/8) to give it a try. All of you "loyal LA readers" would also be welcome. I understand they don't exclude anybody. If you got one, bring or wear your hard hat.
Thank you for who ever is getting this going. In 2008 there were several weapon engineers forced out of their jobs in W and WT-Division by Bret Knapp and Scott Gibbs. Engineers were directed to facility accept jobs in ES-Division or be fired. Now, all the remaining engineers in W and WT are eligible for the VRP and those of us (Engineers) in ES-Division are "excluded". I personally have 30-years experience and have had my salary frozen when I was transferred to ES-Division. I will lose out in over $100K in severance and expect to be fired in the involuntary. Do you see the picture!
To March 8, 2012 8:24 AM:
"In 2008 there were several weapon engineers forced out of their jobs in W and WT-Division by Bret Knapp and Scott Gibbs. Engineers were directed to facility accept jobs in ES-Division or be fired. Now, all the remaining engineers in W and WT are eligible for the VRP and those of us (Engineers) in ES-Division are "excluded".
I was one of the WT-Division engineers purged by Knapp and banished to ES Division. I, too, have been deemed 'ineligible' for the VSP and will lose out on nearly the same amount of severance pay as you...so just because I came from WT, that doesn't mean I'm eligible.
I feel your pain...
Posting problems on the LANL Layoffs page are now resolved. Please try again if your attempt failed earlier
W & WT posters. There are more of us out there. Pls provide name (or pseudonym) + email & home phone # to lanllayoff2012@gmail.com. We need to talk ASAP. All info confidential. (Isn't it the mark of a nadir at the Lab when we have to worry about retribution)
"Do the math with your personal financial situation. The involuntary RIF with 26 weeks may be better financially than the voluntary RIF with 39 weeks assuming you are working at LANL for at least thirteen weeks after April 5th before being riffed. Severance is not pay, it is a dollar amount equal to your gross pay for one week times 39 or 26 weeks. Taxes are withheld from the severance amount. There are no pretax contributions and no matching contributions to the 401K, no pretax deductions for medical and child care plans, etc. For some people these amounts are significant in reducing your taxable income."
good point, in addition, you will get unemployment benefits with involuntary, not with VSP. It will not matter with prospective employers, they will view any "exit" as involuntary.
Good luck, but don't take the bait unless you were really intending to leave anyway.
Will the two new ADs that Brett Knapp just hired from outside LANL at extremely high salaries also be placed on the LANS "excluded" list, too?
Nice, LANS. Cap salaries, cut benefits, ban almost all lab travel and purchase orders and then ram a painful 10% reduction in the regular workforce all while hiring your outside friends into lucrative positions at the top of the LANS management chain.
The involuntary at LLNL was difficult. Only a few very senior managers made the decisions, mid-level and supervision was excluded. Mistakes were made.
On the day of, the employee was told by a designated person who watched them as they collected their personal effects and then walked them to the employee disposal area for further instructions. Like they were dishonest or recycled goods, only lab property was considered, not the employee.
It was cold. Not at all what UC would have done. Lynn Soderstrom's directions to management, carried out to the letter because they didn't know any better, nor had the courage to respond.
Only 3 positions in that exclusion list for PADSTE and they are all low level techs, no scientists. What does that tell you about the importance of science at LANL?
PAD Terry Wallace couldn't even get his famous "Science Complex" built, so many of his scientists are still working in decrepit, 60 year old building and fighting mice and mold. It's a sad state of affairs.
"PAD Terry Wallace couldn't even get his famous "Science Complex" built, so many of his scientists are still working in decrepit, 60 year old building and fighting mice and mold. It's a sad state of affairs."
Meanwhile ORNL, PNNL and other Labs are putting up new buildings. So if the message of new science buildings is ok then the success or failure must have more to do with the messenger.
LANL has become the "Rodney Dangerfield" of funding.
What pisses me off about this "excluded list" is that it's all about LANS Managers protecting and securing their positions, salaries, and jobs at the expense of LANL employees. My Bechtel Managers have less than 3-years at LANL and are preventing me (with 35-years of experience) from retiring and drawing severance.
The LANS Management is "drawing a very clear line between themselves and us (workers)".
I have lost all respect for LANS Managers.
My Bechtel Managers ... are preventing me (with 35-years of experience) from retiring and drawing severance.
No one is stopping you from retiring. Based on years service, you can grab 7/8-ths of your salary anytime you want it. So be pissed about the severance, but retirement?
Scooby has his finger on the "censor" button again. Hey, do you think nobody sees those posts before you delete them? How about posting your rationale? What, no rationale? Not surprising. No profanity, no name-calling, just vaguely unsettling to our sickly-stomached host.
So the LANS Managers hand-picked a bunch of workers to "exclude" from the VRP. Only one problem, McMillan did not hold his management accountable on this "farce". He allowed managers to "hand-pick" individuals and then allowed those same managers to take the VRP! Case in point, ES-Division Managers excluded an entire Group (ES-FE), while the Division\Group Leaders (Steinberg and Burnett) are welcome to accept the VRP! Steinberg is a former Bechtel Manager from Nevada.
Dan Steinberg and Mel Burnett are the most atrociously incompetent "managers" I have come across in my 35 year career. It was as a result of their incompetence that I had to fill one of their facility job in 2008. I have no idea why Upper Management has not relieved these two incompetent fools of their responsibilities.
Should be seeing the final numbers for the LANS VSP any day now. I'm hearing the final number of takers is considerably less than 200.
I think its pretty much a given that a big involuntary layoff at the new, lower figure of only 26 weeks of severance is in the cards.
Duck and cover!
MST division has always had the lowest paid technicians at LANL, all of the pay equity began with Hugh Casey, it been over 20 years and we have not yet recovered.
MST division has always had the lowest paid technicians at LANL, all of the pay inequity began with Hugh Casey, it been over 20 years and we have not yet recovered.
You can complain and rant about the dismal situation at LANL until you are red in the face. However, it will do you no good. The simple fact is that since NM Sen. Domenici left his powerful position as the lab's protector in the Senate:
NO .. ONE .. CARES.
Why waste energy on a dead issue? LANL is on a downward slope that won't be stopping anytime soon. The politicos have decided to let this lab go down the drain.
Why waste energy on a dead issue? LANL is on a downward slope that won't be stopping anytime soon. The politicos have decided to let this lab go down the drain.
March 18, 2012
Well the labs are not along. The politicos have decided to let the United States go down the drain as well.
I wonder if LANS is planning to keep the number of people who applied for the VSP offer hidden from the public under the banner of "corporate proprietary information"?
I wonder if LANS is planning to keep the number of people who applied for the VSP offer hidden from the public under the banner of "corporate proprietary information"?
March 19, 2012 7:13 PM
It won't be for that reason. It will be because "we (LANS) don't feel like it and no one, including NNSA/DOE, tells us what to do!".
The numbers will come out, the involuntary part of this brain-child, depends on it, the media won't let it go...any guess's?
The "media" and the politicians have already left this story regarding huge job cuts at LANL.
We are on our own, rudderless and without sails. LANS is setting up the planks to start throwing people overboard.
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