DOE PROCEEDING WITH FIRING OF ALL YUCCA MOUNTAIN EMPLOYEES IN FACE OF ASLB DECISION
By Nuclear Townhall Staff
Just days after the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board’s rejection of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) request to withdraw the Yucca Mountain license application with prejudice, the Department has scheduled a July 7th meeting with Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (RW) employees to provide them with their Specific Reduction in Force (RIF) Notice of Separation. All of the approximately 140 current RW employees are noticed in the email.
In a copy of the memorandum provided to Nuclear Townhall, the unidentified DOE human resources employee consoles employees:
"As we wind down our operations, it will be more important than ever that we all continue to provide support and comfort to our fellow employees as we all transition into our future activities.
The sender further advises:
"The last months have been trying for all of us, and I appreciate the cooperation and support you have shown me and each other during this unsettling period."
The entirety of the memorandum is as follows:
Subject: Important
Personnel Meeting LSN: Not Relevant – Not Privileged
User Filed as: Excl/AdminMgmt-14-4/QA:N/
Shortly you will be receiving an invitation to a meeting that is to be held on July 7, 2010. The meeting will be held simultaneously in Las Vegas and Washington DC. The purpose of this meeting is to provide you with information on the Department’s Reduction in Force process and to provide you with your Specific Reduction in Force Notice of Separation. You have been invited to this meeting because, as of June 30, you are still shown on RW roles.
Receipt of this notice does not impact any job offers you have received; however it establishes your potential eligibility for priority consideration if you are found well qualified for Federal vacancies in your local commuting area under OPM’s Interagency Career Transition Program (ICTAP). It is important that you make arrangements to attend this meeting and receive your Specific Reduction in Force Notice of Separation as it will afford you the opportunity to exercise your Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) eligibility when applying for federal employment outside of DOE. Headquarters Human Capital representatives will be available to answer general questions during the meeting.
For those of you located in the Las Vegas office, the Headquarters Human Capital representatives will be available for individual meetings the remainder of the day on Wednesday and all day on Thursday. There will be a sign-up sheet for appointments located at [redacted] desk. Employees in Headquarters can make arrangements for individual meetings at their convenience. If you are unable to make arrangements to attend, your Specific Reduction in Force Notice of Separation will be mailed to your home address by registered mail. If for some reason you will not be attending the meeting at your normal work location, please let me know by mid-day Thursday so that we can have your materials sent to the appropriate location. The last months have been trying for all of us, and I appreciate the cooperation and support you have shown me and each other during this unsettling period.
As we wind down our operations, it will be more important than ever that we all continue to provide support and comfort to our fellow employees as we all transition into our future activities.
Tags: ASLB, DOE, Nuclear Townhall, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca Mountain