Below is a website that allows you to send 1 email message to all your senators and rep in 1 shot.
There are many reasons to do so. Some of the reasons are more important to you than others; so pick and choose which topic you want to address with him/her; readers are welcome to add more:
Reason number 1:
DOE/NNSA knew about the costs associated with privatization and misled so many people into taking Total Compensation plan 1. So many people were cheated! I want congress to give them a chance to reverse their decision. This should be on your agenda.
Reason number 2: (contributed by anonymous):
There was an incentive at LANL. That is a major reason why so many folks left. LANL's incentive was roughly 50% more lucrative than the one allegedly proposed by LLNS and current under NNSA review--max of 39 weeks instead of 26. LLNS claims this is due to a difference in the contracts.
Once the VSSOP is approved, LLNS will probably try to pull the string as quickly as possible, at least for the voluntary departures. NNSA and the LLNL contract originally gave LLNL less in TCP2 than LANL, but a massive appeal to Congressman forced NNSA to reconsider and make them equal. (It also forced NNSA to allow comparisons with other companies than originally listed by NNSA.)
We need to be prepared to launch a similar appeal for the incentive. Giving someone a few months extra pay to save someone else from an involuntary layoff seems like a no brainer. Besides, it still irks me that this entire contract change was due to LANL, not us, but every time we turn around, they get a better deal and better budgets.
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41 comments:
scooby -
Welcome to the Blogosphere. I am an exiting LANL TSM... and I wish you luck in helping to discover what happened to Vlad's blogs...
I also wish you luck in ducking some of the uglier bullets the whole array of folks are firing at us both.
Bush-Cheney sold us to Bechtel. Bechtel is trying to run us into the ground. Congress is tired of hearing about us and wants to shut us down (especially now that we belong ever-more to the military-industrials?)... the public fears us. The neighbors resent us.
Damn...
Great e-mail resource. It works wonderful. Thanks for post this.
Letter I sent to our Congressional Leaders
I am a long time employee at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and I feel like the employees here are being mistreated by NNSA or DOE. Both Los Alamos National Lab and the Lawrence Livermore National Lab are going through a big 3161 RIF and the folks here in California at Lawrence Livermore are only being offered a fraction of the separation benefits. If you work in New Mexico on Sen. Domenici's home turf you get a maximum of 39 weeks upon separation but if you work in California, you only get 26 weeks of separation pay. Why do we get less here in California when we live in a higher cost of living area and our homes are being repossessed at a higher rate than anywhere else in the nation?
Scooby,
Emails are easy.
If you want to have an effect, in my experience, you need to do something else.
For instance, 5,000 individualized well crafted printed letters stating the need for LLNL in terms that are crucial to the re-election of a congressman is much more effective than 100,000 emails.
So my humble suggestion is, if you want an effect, do what works.
Based on years of feedback from congressional staff, emails are not it.
eric,
I agree that printed letters reminding our congress people who is boss are much more effective.
I am urging everyone to contact their
congress person in any manner they want.
I have personally sent letters early on but found it easier to email afterwards.
My next letter will be a printed one.
FYI, 'Dec 15, 2007 8:13AM' ....
Per Contract DE-RP52-05NA25396/DE-AC52-05NA25396
Section J, Personnel Appendix A – Page 7
Section V – Payment on Separation
url: http://www.doeal.gov/laso/NewContract.aspx (12-21-05)
Severance pay benefit:
“… one week’s pay for each year … not to exceed a total of 26 weeks pay.”
Modification A029 at
url: http://www.doeal.gov/laso/ModContract.aspx (dated: 10/16/07)
Severance Payment Schedule A
For those LANL employees that transferred from U.C. to LANS on June 1, 2006
“… not to exceed a total of 39 weeks.”
Soooo if someone (ULM? NNSA?) really wants to … the severance pay
can be change. LLNL should get the same … 39weeks/max.
For the curious, with this morning's announcement of an appropriations bill covering LLNL, I put a top level post, with hyperlinks, on http://workingatlanl.blogspot.com
The hyperlinks refer to various useful newspaper articles and to the 1,400 page bill itself.
I would have put the posting here but I do not know how to incorporate hyperlinks into comments and the hyperlinks are crtical to understanding what is going on.
Enjoy.
Eric,
I will post it for you.
I noticed that the dates on this blog are off: Feb 2008, Jan 2008. Request: clean up the dates. Make easier to navigate to the most recent posts (see LANL blog for examples)
Thanks
Dear December 17, 2007 6:52 PM,
The dates are not off.
The disclaimer has a feb date so it can stay on top. the "write your reps" has a January date so it can be second. Hope this helps!
Doubt any email campaign would matter a bit at this point. LLNL has no friends in Congress, no equal to Saint Pete.
Like most bid contracts, the outcome was pre-determined. Anyone remember the NERSC episode? It took three study groups before DOE got the answer it wanted.
Not even a general strike by all the worker groups at LLNL would matter now. We are all EBA, just a matter of time.
Dec 15, 10:36-
Don't worry about the difference (unfair though it is). LANS noticed and has all but sworn to LANL that the 39 weeks severance will be reduced to match LLNLs 26 weeks. They will correct this oversight right after the current round of layoffs. (although they would love to fix it sooner.)
Here is what I sent my reps: feel free to copy it and inundate yours with it:
Hello!
It is time to make NNSA accountable for the lies they told employees of LLNL.
They offered the total compensation package called TCP1 which essentially separates employees from UC. They knew all along they were going to activate the 3161 workforce restructuring program. Had they announced the 3161 plan before 9/17/07 (deadline for opting for TCP1 or TCP2), none of the people that took TCP1
would have chosen TCP1.
TCP2, on the other hand, allowed employees to freeze their UC retirement fund and
maintained their UC years of service.
Congress must hold a hearing!
You may want to review the lanl blog. I believe there was areference somewhere to a lawsuit against LANS for the TCP1/TCP2 debacle. More people were fooled into taking TCP1 there.
"You may want to review the lanl blog. I believe there was areference somewhere to a lawsuit against LANS for the TCP1/TCP2 debacle. More people were fooled into taking TCP1 there."
If you find the post and the law suite has started please site it here on this blog.
I am "IN".
Ok, if I find it on the blog I will post it. I'm not sure if they were talking about this one or a more recent one:
"Labor union files lawsuit over lab's pension change"
Oakland Tribune, Apr 21, 2006
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060421/ai_n16153935
There was talk of a lawsuit a couple of months ago, much more recent than the stated article and much more serious.
I mentioned the potential suit and some of the details on my blogs.
http://scienceatlanl.blogspot.com/
and
http://workingatlanl.blogspot.com/
I went to a meeting with the plaintiffs. I do not remember this suit being mentioned on LANL:The Rest of the Story.
So, go look at the posting, make comments if appropriate, and if the posting is interesting enough, contact me at eric.fairfield@gmail.com
and I can fill in more details as well as get you in contact with the plaintiffs and lawyers in the suit so that you can make a decision about what to do that is in your best interest.
Sorry for the delay in writing this comment. I am trying to get a couple of tech based companies farther off the ground.
Cheers,
Eric,
Thanks for your input! Interesting blogs as usual! I did a search for lawsuit on your blogs and found nothing. Do you suggest a particular keyword?
If all goes as planned, LLNS will begin the VSSOP during the week of Jan. 28. Expect to have two weeks to volunteer, with final selection for eligibility and departure by the end of Feb.
Kept very quiet, it appears as if LLNS will roll over and offer a simple one-for-one buyout, with a max of 26 weeks pay, roughly half of what LANL employees were offered.
Everyone needs to hang in there. Maybe if very few people take the buyout, LLNS will be forced to get rid of its high-priced partner managers and their spouses. After bragging about how much better LLNL did the transition than LANL, even ULM might have a tough time looking themselves in the mirror if they lay of hundreds of FTEs while LANL did none.
The 26 weeks severance is not the issue. It is an issue for those who have been at the Lab for over 26 years. That is a small percentage of people. Out of that small group, only a certain percentage of them will volunteer.
The issue is that LLNS is cutting the people who make peanuts, not those making a killing. The real savings would be to get rid of anyone with "deputy" or "assistant" in their title. Then, you will see the real savings!
January 25, 2008 5:08 PM
How to save money at LLNL?
Fire 66% of ULM by Oct 1st, 2008 and make the other 33% of ULM work for their money. Then remove all burden taxes from every employee where each employee only cost their wages and benefits. Half the LLNL budget saved immediately.
plant mid-management is starting to turn on each other; let the back stabing begen.
As advertised one of the most valuable resources at LLNL is shutting down in absence of anything or anyone that can do job as well. It's a shame to see the resource and the people who made it happen displaced and in some cases lives destroyed. As of Feb 1st, 2008 the Two Stage Light Gas Gun Facility at LLNL is closing its doors forever.
January 25, 2008 3:08 PM
"Maybe if very few people take the buyout, LLNS will be forced to get rid of its high-priced partner managers and their spouses."
It will be a cold day in he-k when you see LLNS management take a hit. They were hired to do a job at LLNL and LLNS is doing it very well. By 2011 LLNL should be down to 4,500 people. Having NNSA in your hip pocket simply means you can do no wrong. Remember these people were hired to reduce the complex in real state and people. They'll stay the course until the mission has been accomplished. You as an employee are like a car parked on the railroad track looking in the face of a freight train moving at 80 MPH towards you. It's your move.
How about adding the fact that LLNS ULM has been charging the WFO accounts the full cost of raises since Oct 1st and decided to only give raises to employees as of Jan 1st. These erroneous cost will not be returned to the individual grants.
At our division meeting the Division leader said they were calling the cost an increase in the fringe benefits and joked about it. I'm sure LLNS has the legal side of this covered, despite the fact that it seems highly unethical.
Hopefully, the local papers will look in to this!
Speaking of rich vs poor, Some of you may enjoy listening to this intellectual lecture on the subject:
http://www.robertreich.org/reich/biography.asp
VIDEO: How Unequal Can America Get Before We Snap?
http://podcast.berkeley.edu/media/gspp/ucb_reich-snap.mp3
Jan. 25 5:08
The LANL offer was 1 or 1 for the first six years, 2 for 1 thereafter, max 39. An employee with only 16 years would get 26 months pay.
It's weeks, not months 5:08...
9:48
Of course. Thanks for catching it.
Has anyone noticed there are elections going on?
Where do all the candidates for relevent offices stand on the Lab issues? Might drop a hint about this being somewhat important.
Scooby et al.
You can move this to a top post if appropriate.
I have hard copies and electronic copies of a draft environmental impact statement for the weapons complex. I have been asked for comments.
I would like help in giving back good comments.
Anyone who would like to comment or see the proposal can contact me, eric.fairfield@gmail.com or my blogs.
I see you people are worried about your ranking, I would not worry to much, your job will be out sourced as soon as you are layed off; LLNS just wacked 200 skill craft workers and now they are quitly posting skill craft jobs with temp agencies. Check out the PLUS GROUP! wanted plumbers for large government facility located in livermore.
Dear President O'bama,
The DOE has the "merde" touch. Everything it touches turns to merde. Please save $14B per year by abolishing it.
despondent, but drug-free
Dear "despondent, but drug free"
What is the DOE?
President O'bama
Perhaps a new post?
Is it time to clean house at LLNL?
No one cares anymore. Give it up.
just a thought but if you leave this post up people will quit coming to your blog. It is really getting old.
8:20PM 3/5 wrote:
"if you leave this post up people will quit coming to your blog. It is really getting old."
Writing congress cannot be stressed enough. They are the ones that control how we live!
If you find this post boring, please feel free to skip it!
Thanks for visiting!
Has anyone heard from his/her Congressman? I sent both a letter and email to Tauscher and haven't even had a form letter or automatic email response.
I have effective communication with my Congressman and Senators all the time. If anyone would like to know how to be successful, contact me.
Eric Fairfield
505-662-3115
eric.fairfield@gmail.com
Good luck.
Dear Senator Waxman,
After Democrats win the White House in 2008, you will want to work solidify your hold on Congress in 2010.
May I suggest a Congressional investigation of the waste generated and fraud perputrated on the public by the Bodman/D'Agostino lead mismanagement of the DOE/NNSA, particularly the wasteful destruction of two "National Treasures" by deficient contracting practices.
You can cast mud on Repulicans, show Bush's incompetence and keep the public's eye off of Democratic misteps while having rollicking good time bashing incompetents Bodman and D'Agostino. With $5 per gallon gas enraging the public daily, this show should play almost as well as the Bonds and Clemens kangaroo courts during C-Span sweep week.
Regards,
Inside the hole.
Dear Congresswoman Tausher,
With less than five years to go, I thought that any change DOE foisted on the lab would be tolerable. I was wrong. It is difficult to motivate oneself to go to something that used to be good, but has failed.
You were wrong too. You did not prevent this disaster, though you could have. I will support your opponent in the next election. Maybe we can suffer the next five years together.
Former supporter
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