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Friday, May 23, 2008
Who are you??
Since you've already been laid off -- we'd like to know who you are .. what classification and directorate .. not necessarily personal names.
21 comments:
Anonymous
said...
for anyone who can still connect to the lab's PH system, you can look people up there by name. If their email = [none] in the output then you know they were ISP victims.
It is now 2 days since I got whacked - it happened first thing Thursday morning. I still can't believe it happened to me. I still can't believe it also happened to 2 of my co-workers - 2 people that are very dedicated to the mission of the Laboratory. One thing I know for sure - the layoff of us three should be challenged. This ISP was supposed to be by senority and in our case it clearly was not. Another thing I know for sure - you can not trust senior lab management.
Not a shame. Just a desire for privacy as they attempt to manage their pain in each's own way. At least for now, it is possible that they don't won't to become part of a media (or blog) circus.
Well it's a good thing it wasn't me that got laid off because I would have unloaded publicly on the blog and the news media, naming names, times, places, events and let the world know exactly what was going on and why. There would be no stopping and no remorse.
The RIF selection was made by those who have minimal contact with the workforce. However, input was solicited from managers in terms of who "absolutely" cannot be released, ie who in their eyes cannot be RIFed. Then, they made a list and managers never had the chance to defend those selected. Moral of the story: If you are an absolute genius or a very popular person with division heads (read: a big BSer), or a compulsive boot-licker, you were likely spared!
If you wish to find out if an employee is terminated, then send them an email. If you received the following reply, the odds are they were riffed.
You have sent email to the address of an employee of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) who is on a temporary off-site assignment. Your email message has not been forwarded. If your email is in regard to official LLNL business, please resend your message to an alternate contact. The employee may be reached at (would include the persons personal email address)
I have talked to many of those laid off and all have touching stories to tell.
Their committment to LLNL is evidenced by the shock of just beginning to realize that the LLNL community will no longer be part of their daily lives.
Here are some highlights that may encourage others to share. These stories provided needed context for the LLNS press releases that have so far shaped media coverage.
Some of those laid off may personally benefit from sharing stories. The more complete the picture of the layoffs, the better positioned everyone will be to correct any errors LLNS may have made in applying their own layoff policies, or in protecting certain classes of employees.
The language below does not even attempt to portray the depth of feeling behind the stories I was told. Instead, it is a dry factual account. Perhaps the dry language does convey the numbness so evident in many of those I spoke with. The emotions will come later.
1) At least one Directorate played by the seniority rules, but many, flaunted the rules. One man with 27 years at LLNL was let go, while others with less than ten years were retained - and all 21 at LLNL with the same 4 digit job class were in one Directorate. He was only 48, 18 months shy of qualifying to draw medical benefits during retirement. He, and several others in his situation, are looking for ways to get rehired or to challenge their layoffs.
2) Everyone I spoke with was over 45, most over 50. Several eye witnesses report that older employees appeared to have been disproportionately represented among the employees laid off in their areas - and at the exit center.
3) A couple of eyewitnesses suggested that African-American employees appeared to be disproportionately represented in those laid off from their areas.
4) Several reported late April and May transfers of employees with less seniority to other "business units" that were protected from the involuntary layoffs and selective reclassifications of employees early this year to new classes which were subsequently made ineligible for the voluntary separation package and protected from the involuntary package.
5) Reports are coming in from many job classes and Directorates the middle .2 job codes were decimated, while the more senior and more junior codes, the .1 and .3, were relatively protected. One woman with 38 years experience, was laid off and their were ten with her code!
6) Some managers, but only when asked, informed people of the business unit they were in, but none provided details on how many were in the unit and where the cut line was drawn.
Whether you were laid off or not, if you have a story to tell, please share it either publicly with the reporters below or privately by contacting the SPSE/UPTE office.
Class: 249 Directorate: Engineering Service: less than 10 yrs Age: low 30s
They did me a favor. Really. Whether they knew it or not. I'm glad they used up one of their slots on me instead of somebody who needs the job and will be around in a year. When they made me eligible, I decided to see how marketable my non-critical skills are. My story will turn out OK. Win-win for everybody: me, the Lab, some other employee, the USA.
I hope you are who I think you are, as I was heart broken when I heard you were shown unceremoniously out the door. Regardless of your identity, I wish you luck. I had been excluded, or I would have gladly done the same thing (i.e. take the place of someone who really wanted to stay), as I am also actively looking and have a few really good prospects.
What really breaks my heart is I made the case to take the place of a specific scientist who I thought was targeted, but to no avail. That scientist, devastated, was shown the door....
I wish everyone who finds themselves no longer at LLNL all the best of luck in finding something that can only be better.
In my particular case, I had been looking for an internal career change for over a year, and I thought I was proceeding relatively well (given the background turmoil). I was already working for the new assignment, but somewhere in the ether between organizations. When I found out I was eligible, I just turned my attention to career moves outside the Lab. I'll post a follow-up on the new topic for "Do you have a job lined up" category.
This is something that none of us wanted to happen for those that have been laid off including myself it was not my performance or skill sets I was fully funded and given good performance reviews and received raises based on that. My supervisor was discussed with what happened in my case my heart truly goes out to those that have been caught up in this mess. I submitted letters to upper management including Miller himself to establish new platforms for the lab to sustain funding and employment for many positions including engineers, scientist, and technicians I was told because the way the contract was set up and the funding for the infrastructure the lab could not compete for contracts with companies such as Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics the list goes on my point is for the lab to succeed it needs to diversify the mission to maintain its funding for future missions what a sad day for what could be a great company to work for. I will leave my identity as 533.3 DTED.
SPSE/UPTE is now verifying the accuracy of a list of the names, job classes and home organizations of all employees who were laid off. Suggestions on how such a list could be used to promote networking among those laid off would be welcome.
Here are a few comments on the messages left based on the layhoff list. Thanks to many such comments, the picture of the layoff is building. Confirmation, corrections and expansions on the picture below are always welcome.
In response to the query about CAR, CAR seems to have been spared the brunt, one 405.3 laid off from the CAR office, and three exempt professionals, one 256 and two 285s from the Center for Applied Scientific Computing. Other COMP divisions were hit much harder, for a total of about 20 285s released by LLNS. Business Information and Communication Services also released 285s, three. Approximately seven 393.1 positions were eliminated.
Regarding 533.3 DTED, it appears that three were laid off from DTED, and one 533.2 and 533.1 from DTED as well. About 5 more 533.3s were laid off from other Engineering Directorates.
About fifty, possibly a few more, 249 Engineers appear to have been laid off, the bulk from Engineering, but several from facilities as well. The Engineer post was the first contact I've had from somone under 40 who was laid off.
You can e-mail your personal story to the SPSE/UPTE office at SPSE@SPSE.org, or call the office and leave a message at 925/449-4846.
The support (including spirited discussions of differing views) people provide each other on this blog, and in SPSE/UPTE, has been a great help in getting through this darkest of weeks in the history of LLNL.
21 comments:
for anyone who can still connect to the lab's PH system, you can look people up there by name. If their email = [none] in the output then you know they were ISP victims.
It is now 2 days since I got whacked - it happened first thing Thursday morning. I still can't believe it happened to me. I still can't believe it also happened to 2 of my co-workers - 2 people that are very dedicated to the mission of the Laboratory.
One thing I know for sure - the layoff of us three should be challenged. This ISP was supposed to be by senority and in our case it clearly was not.
Another thing I know for sure - you can not trust senior lab management.
The PH trick only works for those less than 10 years. Those greater are still employees until their "severance time" runs out.
Looks like no one that got RIF'sd wants their names to be known. What a shame.
Not a shame. Just a desire for privacy as they attempt to manage their pain in each's own way. At least for now, it is possible that they don't won't to become part of a media (or blog) circus.
We should respect their desire.
May 24, 2008 12:10 PM
Well it's a good thing it wasn't me that got laid off because I would have unloaded publicly on the blog and the news media, naming names, times, places, events and let the world know exactly what was going on and why. There would be no stopping and no remorse.
When I had to turn over my badge, I was given this paper badge.
http://i29.tinypic.com/29a1dv.jpg
Kind of silly since I was only onsite another 5 minutes.
Oh, I was a 285 in Computation.
For the tally: 285 Computation
The RIF selection was made by those who have minimal contact with the workforce. However, input was solicited from managers in terms of who "absolutely" cannot be released, ie who in their eyes cannot be RIFed.
Then, they made a list and managers never had the chance to defend those selected.
Moral of the story: If you are an absolute genius or a very popular person with division heads (read: a big BSer), or a compulsive boot-licker, you were likely spared!
If you wish to find out if an employee is terminated, then send them an email. If you received the following reply, the odds are they were riffed.
You have sent email to the address of an employee of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) who is on a temporary off-site assignment. Your email message has not been forwarded. If your email is in regard to official LLNL business, please resend your message to an alternate contact. The employee may be reached at (would include the persons personal email address)
I have talked to many of those laid off and all have touching stories to tell.
Their committment to LLNL is evidenced by the shock of just beginning to realize that the LLNL community will no longer be part of their daily lives.
Here are some highlights that may encourage others to share. These stories provided needed context for the LLNS press releases that have so far shaped media coverage.
Some of those laid off may personally benefit from sharing stories. The more complete the picture of the layoffs, the better positioned everyone will be to correct any errors LLNS may have made in applying their own layoff policies, or in protecting certain classes of employees.
The language below does not even attempt to portray the depth of feeling behind the stories I was told. Instead, it is a dry factual account. Perhaps the dry language does convey the numbness so evident in many of those I spoke with. The emotions will come later.
1) At least one Directorate played by the seniority rules, but many, flaunted the rules. One man with 27 years at LLNL was let go, while others with less than ten years were retained - and all 21 at LLNL with the same 4 digit job class were in one Directorate. He was only 48, 18 months shy of qualifying to draw medical benefits during retirement. He, and several others in his situation, are looking for ways to get rehired or to challenge their layoffs.
2) Everyone I spoke with was over 45, most over 50. Several eye witnesses report that older employees appeared to have been disproportionately represented among the employees laid off in their areas - and at the exit center.
3) A couple of eyewitnesses suggested that African-American employees appeared to be disproportionately represented in those laid off from their areas.
4) Several reported late April and May transfers of employees with less seniority to other "business units" that were protected from the involuntary layoffs and selective reclassifications of employees early this year to new classes which were subsequently made ineligible for the voluntary separation package and protected from the involuntary package.
5) Reports are coming in from many job classes and Directorates the middle .2 job codes were decimated, while the more senior and more junior codes, the .1 and .3, were relatively protected. One woman with 38 years experience, was laid off and their were ten with her code!
6) Some managers, but only when asked, informed people of the business unit they were in, but none provided details on how many were in the unit and where the cut line was drawn.
Whether you were laid off or not, if you have a story to tell, please share it either publicly
with the reporters below or privately by contacting the SPSE/UPTE office.
Public
Betsy Mason, Tri-Valley Herald –
(925) 652-2797
Jim Dolan, SF Chronicle - jdoyle@sfchronicle.com
Private
SPSE/UPTE 925/449-4846
SPSE@SPSE.org
Class: 249
Directorate: Engineering
Service: less than 10 yrs
Age: low 30s
They did me a favor. Really. Whether they knew it or not. I'm glad they used up one of their slots on me instead of somebody who needs the job and will be around in a year. When they made me eligible, I decided to see how marketable my non-critical skills are. My story will turn out OK. Win-win for everybody: me, the Lab, some other employee, the USA.
533.3 DTED 5.7 YEARS oh one more thing my wife and sone are laid off also life does not look very well at this point.
May 24, 2008 9:33 PM
I hope you are who I think you are, as I was heart broken when I heard you were shown unceremoniously out the door. Regardless of your identity, I wish you luck. I had been excluded, or I would have gladly done the same thing (i.e. take the place of someone who really wanted to stay), as I am also actively looking and have a few really good prospects.
What really breaks my heart is I made the case to take the place of a specific scientist who I thought was targeted, but to no avail. That scientist, devastated, was shown the door....
I wish everyone who finds themselves no longer at LLNL all the best of luck in finding something that can only be better.
This is May 24, 2008 9:33 PM.
In my particular case, I had been looking for an internal career change for over a year, and I thought I was proceeding relatively well (given the background turmoil). I was already working for the new assignment, but somewhere in the ether between organizations. When I found out I was eligible, I just turned my attention to career moves outside the Lab. I'll post a follow-up on the new topic for "Do you have a job lined up" category.
Class: 393.1
Directorate: Computations
Service: 28 yrs
Age: 60
Vietnam Vet
Any word on how CAR fared through all this?
This is something that none of us wanted to happen for those that have been laid off including myself it was not my performance or skill sets I was fully funded and given good performance reviews and received raises based on that.
My supervisor was discussed with what happened in my case my heart truly goes out to those that have been caught up in this mess. I submitted letters to upper management including Miller himself to establish new platforms for the lab to sustain funding and employment for many positions including engineers, scientist, and technicians I was told because the way the contract was set up and the funding for the infrastructure the lab could not compete for contracts with companies such as Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics the list goes on my point is for the lab to succeed it needs to diversify the mission to maintain its funding for future missions what a sad day for what could be a great company to work for.
I will leave my identity as 533.3 DTED.
SPSE/UPTE is now verifying the accuracy of a list of the names, job classes and home organizations of all employees who were laid off. Suggestions on how such a list could be used to promote networking among those laid off would be welcome.
Here are a few comments on the messages left based on the layhoff list. Thanks to many such comments, the picture of the layoff is building. Confirmation, corrections and expansions on the picture below are always welcome.
In response to the query about CAR, CAR seems to have been spared the brunt, one 405.3 laid off from the CAR office, and three exempt professionals, one 256 and two 285s from the Center for Applied Scientific Computing. Other COMP divisions were hit much harder, for a total of about 20 285s released by LLNS. Business Information and Communication Services also released 285s, three. Approximately seven 393.1 positions were eliminated.
Regarding 533.3 DTED, it appears that three were laid off from DTED, and one 533.2 and 533.1 from DTED as well. About 5 more 533.3s were laid off from other Engineering Directorates.
About fifty, possibly a few more, 249 Engineers appear to have been laid off, the bulk from Engineering, but several from facilities as well. The Engineer post was the first contact I've had from somone under 40 who was laid off.
You can e-mail your personal story to the SPSE/UPTE office at SPSE@SPSE.org, or call the office and leave a message at 925/449-4846.
The support (including spirited discussions of differing views) people provide each other on this blog, and in SPSE/UPTE, has been a great help in getting through this darkest of weeks in the history of LLNL.
I don't think you can say CAR was spared. I've heard that two divisions in CAR lost 8 and 18 people.
My quick perusal of PH using the [none] trick leads me to believe that few if any black employees are left at the lab.
Smooth move George, just ahead of an Obama presidency.....must be a trick you learned from Riley Bechtel, it certainly isn't a UC gift.
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