Wednesday, March 21, 2007

 

Nuke Lab Workers' SOS to Congress

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Nuke Lab Workers' SOS to Congress

There's a "culture of mismanagement" at Los Alamos National Laboratory, current and former nuclear security specialists there are saying. And they want Congress to investigate the birthplace of the atomic bomb -- again -- for "health, safety, security and management concerns."

Lanl_nm"We have never in our careers, either in public service or the private sector, witnessed such gross mismanagement," these workers, from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Los Alamos Site Office, say in a letter to Congress, obtained by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

No names are attached to the note. "While whistleblower protection is afforded," the workers write, "we fear DOE [Department of Energy] management retaliation." But the employees claim they have "a sum of more that 100 years of experience" in the Energy Department.

In a press release, POGO notes that the University of California last year won a questionable competition to continue managing Los Alamos -- despite a torrent of scandals. "The NNSA then initiated a 'pilot program' that allows the contractor to oversee itself." That's a major no-no. " This program rendered the Site Office virtually powerless to correct problems," notes one poster to a Los Alamos blog.

"Why select a site that is-known to have had a history of serious management problems and serious problems with business systems?" the letter adds.


Comments:
I think this little interchange from an earlier post is apropo this post as well:

*************************************

Time and time again history has shown what happens to people who do not speak up or who do not complain. It is that simple.

______________________________


Well, that settles it. 98% of LANL staff are totally screwed.

 
Well it seems that a multi-millon dollar project at LANL has suddenly found out there is no more money on the tree. The TA-50 Pump House and Influent Storage Project managemnt woke up the other day and found out they were broke. Why haven't they paid attention to the funding before now? UNBELIEVABLE! Looks like another furnture warehouse for LANL built to nuclear safety requirements. Way to go!

Oh and by the way, the RLUOB project getting underway is another disaster about to happen. How Austin Comm ever got awarded that job should be investigated. Management has absolutely no experience working a nuclear safety related project.

Mismanagement at LANL?????? HA
 
Not like they are getting ready to get "screwed" this place is out of control.....I see employees shaking in their boot's ..but still they "see no evil, speak no evil, and well you know the rest. How sad to make a living crapping in your pant's everytime management delivers another threat...Sheep is nice way of saying ......
 
It's a real challenge , as employees' we can complain and tread on being shut down, or we can take the abuse, and still we may be shut down...oh dear what should we do?....
 
Mallory has already said that TA-55 is to be manufacturing. TA-16 HE work will go to Pantex. SRS is here, at McQuinn's request, to do an assessment on WETF Tritium work. And I jut read that SRS is gearing up their Tritium facilities. Maybe Tritium will go to SRS and their assessment is just a scoping trip. SNL is getting more and more LANL applications.

With all this there may not be enough left for LASO to mismanage. Between LASO mismanagement, LANS mismanagement, LASO arrogance, LANS arrogance we make quite the team.

Outsourcing is coming. RIFs are coming. You'll have to be 60+ to get your TCP1. Time clocks. Pee bottles. Keystroke counts. A new world is a brewin'. We'll be back down to a 6000 person lab before we know it.

Heim's specialty was outsourcing at SRS. It'll happen here. Give computer support out. Get rid of travel. Give benefits to Hewitt. Give small science to universities. HE work to Pantex. Tritium to SRS. Don't need weapons engineers soon. Give engineers to Bechtel. Do a corporate reachback if we need them and it looks like a management function so there will be a management fee coming in.

Job classification restructure. Salary realignments. Formality of Ops. New world a blowin' in.
 
Guess what if you are classified as a Tec6 and doing Tec5 work,,,guess what? The rules are about to be changed, your managment is changing the whole ball-game, guess what most Tec's will be re-classed to a lower level, not a higher level, (new Survey coming) all this is to save money and rid the lab of some highly over-paid Tec's.....Look for a new Survey to come your way ,real soon..like next week....
 
The memo released today said that there would be no salery adjustments downward due to these
reclassifications but that you could have an adjustment upward.
 
yep - no adjustment downward... but no pay raises for x years to take care of business.

Dude - think this out big picture.
 
Come on be fair. It is frustrating that people rarely speak out about the problems with management at the Lab, but Lab managers are masters of retaliation. If this weren't so, why do you feel the need to post anonymously?. I also feel that complaints that people made to the Congressional delegation produced the stunningly awful NNSA and their further "help" has saddled us with the contract competition and ultimately, LANS. My guess is LANS did not win the competition but a certain Senator ordered that outcome and now we have the same incompetent vicious management but under a corporate flag so they can do so much more damage.
 
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