Wednesday, March 14, 2007
At Least at LLNL, They're TRYING to Fight Back Against Privatization
Union aims to organize before lab privatization
The 800-plus Tracy residents who work for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will begin working for a military contractor when the lab's management contract is privatized in October.
The only nonprofit-led bidder for the contract has given up on its long-shot proposal to run the weapons laboratory as a civilian science and renewable energy research center.
One of the two remaining bids is led by military contractor Northrop Grumman, while the other team is led by military contractor Bechtel and the University of California.
Lab physicist Jeff Colvin said Monday that the privatization of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico had led to reduced benefits and job security for employees there.
Colvin is an organizer for the Society of Professionals, Scientists and Engineers, a union working to convince the roughly 8,000 lab employees to allow it to collectively negotiate their contracts before the lab is privatized.
The National Nuclear Security Administration's Barbara Stearrett told Marylia Kelley in an 11-page fax that the Livermore Lab Green Renewable Energy and Environmental Nexus' protest of the rejection of its proposal failed in part because "the proposal submitted by your firm was found deficient beyond what was challenged in your protest."
Kelley, who works for lab watchdog Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, described the rejection as unfortunate but said no more appeals are planned.
University of California currently manages the Livermore lab, and it managed Los Alamos until it was privatized in June. Los Alamos is now run by a team led by Bechtel and University of California.
The 800-plus Tracy residents who work for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will begin working for a military contractor when the lab's management contract is privatized in October.
The only nonprofit-led bidder for the contract has given up on its long-shot proposal to run the weapons laboratory as a civilian science and renewable energy research center.
One of the two remaining bids is led by military contractor Northrop Grumman, while the other team is led by military contractor Bechtel and the University of California.
Lab physicist Jeff Colvin said Monday that the privatization of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico had led to reduced benefits and job security for employees there.
Colvin is an organizer for the Society of Professionals, Scientists and Engineers, a union working to convince the roughly 8,000 lab employees to allow it to collectively negotiate their contracts before the lab is privatized.
The National Nuclear Security Administration's Barbara Stearrett told Marylia Kelley in an 11-page fax that the Livermore Lab Green Renewable Energy and Environmental Nexus' protest of the rejection of its proposal failed in part because "the proposal submitted by your firm was found deficient beyond what was challenged in your protest."
Kelley, who works for lab watchdog Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, described the rejection as unfortunate but said no more appeals are planned.
University of California currently manages the Livermore lab, and it managed Los Alamos until it was privatized in June. Los Alamos is now run by a team led by Bechtel and University of California.
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At Least at LLNL, They're TRYING to Fight Back Against Privatization Union aims to organize before lab privatization
The 800-plus Tracy residents who work for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will begin working for a military contractor when the lab's management contract is privatized in October.
May I suggest that someone from Grumman show up to this meeting, listen to what is being said and observe. I truthfully hope this information is correct and that the UC has washed their hands completely. It may be for the better of all concerned, even though I personally have not seen where the UC has done any damage to LLNL. They simply are doing what the private sector has done. They are absolving themselves from all further responsibility and liabilities. If you were in the captains chair, you'd do the very same thing, especially when the mission has changed and manpower cuts are on the horizon. From the industries point of view this is a smart move and one that is inevitable. One can only be wishful that LLNL does in fact be taken over by a single entity that will be very efficient and in the end produce a produce that works on schedule. Slacker, beware is the word.
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The 800-plus Tracy residents who work for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will begin working for a military contractor when the lab's management contract is privatized in October.
May I suggest that someone from Grumman show up to this meeting, listen to what is being said and observe. I truthfully hope this information is correct and that the UC has washed their hands completely. It may be for the better of all concerned, even though I personally have not seen where the UC has done any damage to LLNL. They simply are doing what the private sector has done. They are absolving themselves from all further responsibility and liabilities. If you were in the captains chair, you'd do the very same thing, especially when the mission has changed and manpower cuts are on the horizon. From the industries point of view this is a smart move and one that is inevitable. One can only be wishful that LLNL does in fact be taken over by a single entity that will be very efficient and in the end produce a produce that works on schedule. Slacker, beware is the word.
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: 3/14/2007 6:16 PM
: 3/14/2007 6:16 PM << Home
