RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — About 850 union members are facing layoffs in two months as Hanford contractors cut workers because federal stimulus money for cleanup work at the nuclear reservation is running out.
The president of the Hanford Atomic Trades Council, Dave Molnaa, told the Tri-City Herald on Monday he has not seen layoffs of that magnitude since the mid-1990s.
The paper reports (http://bit.ly/oAvtlw ) the jobs are part of about 1,200 layoffs planned by CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. and its subcontractors at the end of September as most of its $1.3 million in stimulus money is spent.
The union workers will be laid off in a “bump and roll” system based on seniority, regardless of contractor. That means layoffs could affect union workers on other Hanford projects.
