A total of 52 jobs could be cut at two federal sites in Oak Ridge, the Y-12 National Security Complex and the East Tennessee Technology Park, a security contractor said Monday.
The plan, which follows reviews by federal officials, calls for a reduction of up to 34 security police officer and three staff positions at Y-12, according to security contractor WSI Oak Ridge. It also calls for the elimination of up to 14 security police officer positions and one staff member at ETTP.
Company employees at Y-12 and ETTP will be offered a voluntary separation program, or VSP, and applications will be accepted until Friday.
Those who apply will be notified by Sept. 18 if their applications have been accepted, according to a statement from WSI Oak Ridge. Those who are accepted will work through Sept. 28.
The job reductions follow reviews by the National Nuclear Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, and WSI, the statement said.
“In 2011, NNSA conducted a comprehensive review to confirm the level of funding required to sustain the Safeguards and Security program at the Y-12 National Security Complex, right-size the mission support security functions, and reduce the security footprint by eliminating activities clearly above those required to support NNSA’s national security mission requirements,” according to the statement, sent by Courtney Russell Henry, WSI Oak Ridge public affairs manager.
“Similar action was taken by DOE’s Oak Ridge Office,” Henry said. “Since then, WSI has actively engaged in the review of the size of its Oak Ridge work force to obtain efficiencies and cost savings and to support the recommendations provided by these reviews.”
Henry said the staff reductions will not affect security at Oak Ridge facilities “due to dramatic improvements in physical security that have been completed in recent years at Y-12 and to changes in mission at ORO.”
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