LLNS may have excluded the wrong people in last VSSOP? The exclusions were based on outdated job categories and related skills. ULM are now thinking that in the future, job categories and functional areas will have to be re-defined. The next VSSOP/ISP will be based on the new categories and functional areas. The questions I have are: 1) Why didnt they think of that before the transition. It seems like their style is “change things as you go”. Planning is out the window! 2) Who will give input on the new changes? The next RIF apparently is going to be more lucrative than the VSSOP. Depending on the length of employment, a RIFed person, not only gets their 1 week pay per year of service but also from 30 to 120 days notice, essentially 30 to 120 days pay. Please feel free to comment on the rumors or add new ones you actually heard.
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III.2.3 Order of Layoff
The order of layoff for career employees in the same classification (defined as the four digits of the title code) within a unit is in inverse order of Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC seniority except that the department head may retain employees irrespective of seniority who possess special skills, knowledge, or abilities that are not possessed by other employees in the same classification with greater seniority, and that are necessary to perform the ongoing function of the department. All such exceptions are documented and reviewed by the Human Resources Manager.
This appears to be a general approval to use SKAs as the determining factor, not seniority. With this type of exception, management's ability to keep whomever they desire is limited only by their writing ability and imagination.
I think it makes sense to have that sort of flexibility. Most everyone on this blog claim they work at the Lab out of a sense of patriotism. I would argue the patriotic thing to do is step out of the way of the guy who has special skills and put aside your selfish, unpatriotic desire to keep your job. Just keep telling yourself "It's for the good of the country".