Out of 202 respondents, only 39 said yes would/have take/taken it. That is 20%.
An indication (but not a guarantee) that we will be way below 200.
An indication (but not a guarantee) that we will be way below 200.
Tri-Valley Cares needs to be on this if they aren't already. We need to make sure that NNSA and LLNL does not make good on promises to pursue such stupid ideas as doing Plutonium experiments on NIF. The stupidity arises from the fact that a huge population is placed at risk in the short and long term. Why do this kind of experiment in a heavily populated area? Only a moron would push that kind of imbecile area. Do it somewhere else in the god forsaken hills of Los Alamos. Why should the communities in the Bay Area be subjected to such increased risk just because the lab's NIF has failed twice and is trying the Hail Mary pass of doing an SNM experiment just to justify their existence? Those Laser EoS techniques and the people analyzing the raw data are all just BAD anyways. You know what comes next after they do the experiment. They'll figure out that they need larger samples. More risk for the local population. Stop this imbecilic pursuit. They wan...
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Ignoring the fact that your poll is not based on a statistically valid random sample, if 20% of the population is taking the VSSOP (your poll results), then the expected number of takers at LLNL would be:
20% * population * fraction eligible
or around 500-600 people. So how do you come up with under 200?
My votes for a flat 10% tax on all income no matter what your income is, with NO write-offs for ANYTHING, period.
Dear statistician!
There is nothing scientific about a poll in a blog. There is no validity, just an indication that a less than overwhelming number of people took the VSSOP; that is all!
You're being intellectually dishonest when you use the data the way you did in the top level post -- but at least you are forthright enough to admit that in the third comment.
All the rumors I've heard are that there were about 200 people who signed up on the first day (so their decision got "locked in" on day 7). I haven't heard any rumors about how many people signed up in the last couple of days (who can bail out of the VSSOP until the 6th). However, there are a bunch of retirement emails going around already.
What are we disagreeing on here?
I said there may be less than 200. You said about 200. Since neither one of us is a statistician, let us put the subject to rest.
I, for one, am in the targeted (er, I mean eligible) pool, and I chose not to take the VSSOP since I don't have an offer "in hand" yet for the replacement job. I expect that I will have an 80% chance of leaving when the offer does come in (the other employer is another government entity, thus the slow response). Honestly, I will leave with or without the severance if the offer is halfway decent. I have 6 years of LLNL service and I am on the younger end of the scale.
Another point that I had heard was that the "pay in lieu of notice" carrot was making some people wait for a bigger payout. For me, pay in lieu of notice is not the issue, just timing. I was probably in denial about the stability of my position at the Lab. A check of LAPIS helped clear that up.
For reference, 200 series (scientists and engineers) get the following notice periods (or pay) from when they are handed notice of involuntary separation, from Section K of the Personnel Policies and Procedures manual:
Yrs service / Notice
under 10 / 30 days
10-15 / 60 days
15-20 / 90 days
20+ / 120 days
Less notice for everybody else.
I could see where somebody at age 45, with 18 years of service, would be hesitant to risk a leap in the current job market for 18 weeks of pay, when they would get 18weeks+3months pay if they do get cut loose. Uprooting family and potentially selling a house in this market is somewhat easier to swallow with a quarter year to make things happen.
In any event, prepare for the ISP.
It's a gamble. If you didn't take the VSSOP, you could be laid off with notice. But you might not get laid off and end up working in a position you don't want for an organization that you can't stand. It was time for me to go. I figure to be one of the approximately 200 that exits March 14. Over 35 years since I started with LLNL.
On the facts front: the AD of Comp said on Friday in her monthly newsletter that 27 in the Comp directorate had chosen the VSSOP, but that number might still go down if people elect to reconsider. The cap was 92, so it is a good bet that all that volunteered will be allowed to leave.
How about the new ULM who still have their families at their old job site. They are going to be leaving as soon as they can anyway.