Anonymous wants to know how the folks that were laid off almost a year ago are doing?
Where are you now? Are you happier? Going through hardship? drop a line!
Where are you now? Are you happier? Going through hardship? drop a line!
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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The layoff was not the only way to reduce cost. I hope it will stay on Miller's conscience for the rest of his life! He could have opposed it.
Leaving California is a good thing. MSNBC just announced the official unemployement rate of Ca is 25.1% and climbing. Time to split as soon as you get your notice.
On the other side: it was the best thing that ever happened to me as it has opened the door to be involve in areas of interest that I never had time for while working.
Would I ever come back to a Bechtel operated and Miller led organization? Not only NO but Hell NO.
In comparison to enhanced interrogation methods [torture, LLNS practiced enhanced separation techniques when they laid us off in such a disrespectful way.
I'm hacked that LLNL has not recalled me; several positions have been filled by reassigning unqualified people into vacancies, as opposed to bringing back qualified folks. (Bad for me but understandable for LLNL).
Otherwise life is good - have had time to get a lot done, wrap up deferred maintenance projects, work on hobbies, time with the wife, etc...
...and the top managers at LLNS are still doing extremely well with much larger salaries and better perks.
However, the move to "for-profit" management destroyed LLNL at its very core. It was a fatal error on the part of NNSA. LLNL will now face slow death under a policy of neglect from the US Congress.
OAKLAND, Calif., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 21, 2009, the Law Firm of Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer filed an age discrimination lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court Case Number 09453596 on behalf of 130 former employees against Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) , the private company co-owned by Bechtel and the University of California that operates the Lawrence Livermore National Lab.
On May 22 and 23, 2008, LLNS laid off approximately 440 employees, the vast majority of whom were the Lab's most senior, experienced employees. California law prohibits discrimination in the workplace against any employee who is over the age of 40 years old, based upon that employee's age. 130 of those employees have retained Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer to challenge the layoffs. These former Lab employees include administrative assistants, maintenance workers, engineers and senior scientists. The 130 employees filed one lawsuit, but are seeking damages based upon their individual circumstances. These are consolidated cases; it is not a class action lawsuit.
The former employees contend that they were selected by the Lab to lose their jobs because they were older workers (over 40) who were approaching their retirement age. As a result, these former employees are out of work at a stage in life when finding new employment is particularly challenging. Most of these workers have suffered a severe financial hit in the amount of retirement income and benefits they will eventually receive because of their forced, premature "retirement."
The laid off workers contend that the Layoff selection process utilized by the Lab was illegal. The former employees contend that the Lab did not follow Federal Law by seeking voluntary separations to eliminate the need for any layoffs.
Furthermore, approximately 94% of those laid off were over the age of 40, making them "protected employees" pursuant to California's anti-age discrimination laws. The Lab ignored its own polices to target these older workers because of their advanced salaries and approaching retirements.
Today, these targeted older workers are fighting back by filing this lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court.
According to J. Gary Gwilliam, lead counsel for the former employees, "It's unfortunate that the Lawrence Livermore Lab, the University of California and Bechtel Corporation would treat their employees in a discriminatory manner. I don't think the Department of Energy, with whom they contract, would approve of such conduct. These entities should be setting the highest standards of fairness in the workplace, not the lowest. We are confident the Court will correct this obvious injustice."
In addition, several different plaintiffs allege different kinds of discrimination including race, gender, disability, family leave rights and sexual orientation as well as retaliation. The complaint also alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract and the breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
CONTACTS: For more information and a copy of the complaint please contact J. Gary Gwilliam, Esq., Randall E. Strauss, Esq., Jane Felice Gorelick
Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer, A Prof Corp.
1999 Harrison Street, Oakland, California
(510) 832-5411
Glad I'm gone, given what I hear about the place. Too bad. It was fun while I was there ... almost 30 years. I learned a lot, met a lot of very neat people, lived through interesting times.
Oh well.
Been looking for a job for eleven months now with no luck. Seems like no one wants to offer a good job to a sixty year old.
I miss the people I worked with and the projects I was involved in. I hope no one else is laid off in the future and that Livermore Lab continues to be well funded as I believe in the lab's mission.
I have joined the lawsuit and plan on fighting my lay off in court. In many work groups several older employees were kicked out the gate while the younger employees that had less seniority got to keep their jobs. There are laws against age discrimination in the work place. I am very confident our law firm will be successful in Alameda County Superior Court.
Brovo Zulu, well done and I wish all of you $M's each to make up for the life they ripped from you. Make sure you all get no less then $1M each after taxes and lifetime medical ALL expenses paid by LLNS / Rectal. That's very important.
Have you been living under a rock? Have you seen the unemployment rates and the economy? I know people with advanced degrees who cannot find work. I know people with a lifetime of trades/crafts experience who can't find work. Your stupidity clearly defines LLNS's policy of retaining "The best and the brightest" .
Had my home on the market for over a year and with all the foreclosures I lost over 80,000 in equity so we now rent the property and are making the best of it in Tennessee.
I hope all goes well for those left at LLNL, for me it was a great place to work. Thinking of the negative part at the lab I only had one bad experience as my wife had an affair with someone I worked with and trusted this was the hardest part of staying at the lab amazing to me how he kept his clearance. Looking back I have made the right choice by moving to Tennessee I do miss my friends and the west coast weather.
For those who know me you know the story.
Stephen Beard