Custodial leads Javier Hernandez and Peter Montoya have always taken pride in working at the Lab, and never more than now when their essential contributions are emphasized. Although the Lab reduced on-site staffing beginning March 19 to comply with California’s shelter-in-place order, Montoya and Hernandez still commute to the Lab’s main site, like they always have since they joined the Lab’s … [Read more...]
Invitation to April 21 Town Hall & Extension of Administrative Leave
Dear colleagues, Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through the complexities of securing leave options. We are pleased to share with you that we now have authorization to offer paid Administrative Leave for a maximum of up to eight weeks (equivalent of 40 work days or 320 hours) for each eligible employee, to be used from March 17, 2020 through September 30, 2020 or until … [Read more...]
On-Site Superstars: Tien Huynh and the Groundskeeping Team
Although almost all of the humans have left Berkeley Lab’s main site, the wildlife has not. The turkeys, deer, and other creatures are roaming the hillside, while the trees, shrubs, grass, and weeds continue to grow. That keeps Berkeley Lab landscaper Tien Huynh a busy man. Huynh and three other landscapers continue to come to work each day while the Lab is in standby mode – although in … [Read more...]
Berkeley Lab to Conduct R&D to Improve the Nation’s COVID-19 Testing Capabilities
Berkeley Lab is part of a multi-laboratory working group that received DOE funding last week to conduct R&D to help improve the nation’s COVID-19 testing capabilities. The research involves eight DOE national labs and is funded for the next six months. The working group identified several opportunities where additional R&D can improve existing COVID-19 diagnostic methods or help … [Read more...]
Extension of Administrative Leave to April 20
Dear colleagues, Ensuring the stability of pay for our workforce has been our top priority as well as our top challenge during this prolonged standby period. We want to let you know that while we continue to seek more ways to assist Lab employees during this time, the Lab is today authorizing an additional extension to the number of paid Administrative Leave days available for each eligible Lab … [Read more...]