Sept. 25, 1998
Not asking for a hand out
I appreciate all the news about unions at the Lab and what they would really mean. I believe Ternel Martinez' letter [Sept. 24] was the most informative. Thanks for your thoughts; I appreciate your imparting your knowledge on the matter.
In spite of Mr. Patillo's [Sept. 23] patronizing retort and his attempt to put me in my place, the point of my letter [Sept. 22] was not about unionizing. If you'll recall, I didn't say that you were wrong. And, for your information, the market isn't working for the OS Series, Mr. Patillo.
In spite of the message from [Director John] Browne that our salaries have been leveled based on "fair" market studies, this is not the case. The OS series is the only series that isn't afforded the privilege of a nation-wide market study. For the past two years, our salaries have been compared to Albuquerque businesses only. So, if I make 2 percent more than a secretary at Intel makes, I am being overpaid. Period, that's it. According the an article in Monday's Albuquerque Journal, the cost of living in Los Alamos is 19.2 percent higher than the national average and 16.4 percent higher than Albuquerque's. However, through the Department of Energy's wisdom and misrepresentation, the higher cost of living is not, I repeat, NOT factored in. What's more, neither is our job content being considered. We do not do here what a secretary at Intel does. Yet, because we're labeled "secretary" we're fair game to be compared to any other secretary who is employed in Albuquerque. Our jobs are unique and we "work hard for the money." (Thanks for nothing for your kind support.)
I am not asking for a hand out. I am fully aware of the choices I've made. I am not ashamed of being and OS worker at the Lab and I'm not asking for YOUR salary. I'm asking for fair and reasonable representation and for a fair salary for what I do. And, if I'm lucky, the opportunity to make a decent living at it. That's all.
I am currently trying to work within the system to get fair representation for our OS staff, but it is, and always has been, an uphill battle. Being told that I'm a valued employee and then given a pittance does not hold water. I'm not complaining about my group management, either. They have always done what they could to reward the good work I do. But, the control has been taken out of their hands. A nameless, faceless DOE person and the LLC control my career.
An empty assurance that we're all valued employees does not help a morale that was already at rock bottom or the hurt, anger, and betrayal my peers and me feel with this latest salary exercise.
--Barbara E. McNamara