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Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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Summary

The Trump administration abruptly fired multiple National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) employees, then struggled to reinstate some due to a lack of updated contact information.

The NNSA, which oversees the U.S. nuclear stockpile, asked remaining employees to relay the message.

The terminations, part of mass federal layoffs orchestrated by Trump and Elon Musk, coincided with a Russian drone strike on Chernobyl, raising security concerns.

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[-] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 82 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I can't imagine anyone would want to come back after being abruptly fired from what was likely a long career requiring expertise and multiple security clearances, likely after a military career. To have all that just brushed away with the swipe of a hand like you're entire life is fucking meaningless... I can't imagine what that was like for those people. People that had been loyal to the machine for a lifetime.

And then this asshole has the balls to ask them to come back? Wow, just wow!

[-] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 45 points 1 year ago

And then this asshole has the balls to ask them to come back? Wow, just wow!

He doesn't even have the balls to do that. He's asking their coworkers to do it for him.

[-] billiam0202@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yep, this is 100% a lie.

They're so afraid of looking weak by admitting fault they'd rather look incompetent by claiming the US Government doesn't know how to contact the people in charge of our nukes.

[-] Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com 39 points 1 year ago

Great time to negotiate a salary increase.

Though to be honest if you were working that job, I imagine you weren't financially struggling.

[-] jonne@infosec.pub 22 points 1 year ago

Yeah, same thing happened when Musk fired a bunch of critical Twitter people.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago

I bet they need to eat, and this will give them time to find a new job while still eating.

Also, as their coverage will end with the job change they're certainly planning, it's time to get the entire family in for dental check-ups and to the GP for tests and jabs.

[-] PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Well, Elon IS running the government like a CEO. Clueless, fucking moronic CEO which, lets be honest, most of them are.

[-] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 65 points 1 year ago

It would be absolutely hilarious if the workers took this opportunity to unionize and negotiate getting their jobs back with higher pay and better benefits.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 19 points 1 year ago

Or unionize as consultants, at double the pay, plus benefits.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago

unionize as consultants

The two groups don't often overlap. That's like "flying as sharks".

Consultants, but their nature, may have drastically-reduced job security, something people usually want from a union when they can't get it from their government.

[-] PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

I thought the federal employees were unionized to some degree, but were still fired? I read something to that effect a week ago but the article didn't go into much detail.

[-] OCATMBBL@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

They're unionized but lack the ability to strike.

And, yes, it does make the union largely useless. They can file lawsuits, and cite law, and involve themselves in employee arbitration, but that only matters when the opposition engages in good faith.

[-] sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago

This is management at its best.

[-] andyburke@fedia.io 42 points 1 year ago

Never let a business person near a functioning business. Never, ever let a business person be in charge of government.

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In my professional experience it's most specifically people with a sales and sales-like background (which includes grifters).

People whose speciality is "wheeling and dealing" are horrible at managing anything whose success criteria is not purely based on convincing other people of something, so basically anything were actual things must be created, made, distributed and so on.

Since they can't actually make things work, they instead try and manipulate perception around it to convince others that things are working or for them to do it for them, and the former only holds for a while whilst problems accumulate and things eventually fail in an too-big-to-be deniable way (at which point they try to dump the blame on somebody else), whilst the latter when done by somebody supposedly leading something just yields a parasite manager that doesn't manage and whose selection of manpower is based on how easy it is to manipulate their "underlings" rather than competence, so things get badly done but said "manager" can't actually tell until it's too late.

[-] lolola@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 1 year ago

MoVe FaSt AnD bReAk ThInGs

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 year ago

And in the confusion.... the government lost track of several nuclear weapons

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago

Russia lost track of something like 75 "suitcase nukes" as they went missing and often sold off a truck, right after the fall of the Soviet union.

Because we needed more parallels to Russia.

[-] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 year ago
[-] GraniteM@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

"I don't know what's scarier, that it's happened, or that it happens often enough that there's a word for it."

[-] fan0m@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

fafo

[-] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago

Suddenly, it's not so difficult to believe that he bankrupted a casino.

[-] TammyTobacco@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

3 casinos, even! And he's had 6 total corporate bankruptcies!

[-] aTun@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Maybe he lost nuclear weapons firing sequence.

[-] Mbourgon@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Now imagine what would happen if this had happened a year in the future… Everybody has new gigs, no intentions of coming back, and the institutional knowledge has been lost. Almost makes you think that these 2 presidents might be traitors

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

"We've been trying to reach you about your expired nuclear safety job" /s

[-] ConstantPain@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

"Everybody is replaceable" is only true for menial jobs. Some jobs are so critical and demand so much specialization that sometimes there's only one person that can do it right.

[-] rowanthorpe@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

I'm waiting to see the headline: "Fired NNSA employees can't be found for reemployment because they moved to off-grid locations outside the blast-radius of all major centres"

[-] subiacOSB@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Back in the day. If you did nuclear work for the government they would keeps tabs on you for some time. Maybe they fired those people too. Who knows.

[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

Man, if this was me I just straight up wouldn’t go back.

Who the fuck wants to go back to a job where you can get fired out of the blue

[-] Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Who the fuck wants to go back to a job where you can get fired out of the blue

That's pretty much any job in america dude...

[-] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago

because you are in a position to resist and negotiate for more money now.

[-] SketchySeaBeast@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Until they decide to fire you again.

[-] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 0 points 1 year ago

Oh that's expected. Before that was time for weaponized incompetency and/or causing tons of roads Blocks that can't move anywhere. Can't let children run rampaging. Rosa parks is example of just doing nothing to further a bad agenda can have ripples.

[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah no. I have a family. I’d rather have stable income thanks

[-] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 0 points 1 year ago

Fair play. That's what they are banking on and why most people don't so anything. Then replace with some loyal dog that will do anything.

[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

For most roles, I could see that being the case. For this one? They are hiring back because they don’t know what the hell is going on

[-] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago

That's the best part, now they know they need you. Time to sit pretty while doing the minimum to assist/delay the administration. They gonna fire you again after they derped? Possibly, but the point is to keep nuclear safety in safer hands.

[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Why would I assist? I’d just find a nook somewhere to sleep if I’m taking an unstable job because management fucked up. I’m not supporting a fascist regime

[-] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago

But that's what got work is! /s

Probably some Maga hat due hard ready replace anyone. They did with school teachers and started subbing Sov cit crazies

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Elect a clown, expect a circus.

[-] notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Glowing demonstration of eggsceptional management skills.

[-] harmsy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I'd prefer if things don't glow, thank you very much.

this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
230 points (98.3% liked)

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