Employment offers made at Y-12, Pantex from April 15-June 2

The new contractor at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, will make employment offers between April 15 and June 2, the company said Tuesday.

Information about the employment offers, which must be made no later than June 2, was included in a Tuesday message to employees from Jim Haynes, president and chief executive officer of the new Y-12 and Pantex contractor, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC.

“The CNS management team and I recognize that you are waiting for information that will affect your jobs and your lives—and that waiting can cause anxiety about staffing plans, organizational structure, members of the senior leadership team, benefits, retirement planning, work schedules, and more,” Haynes said.

Here are other key dates:

• Week of March 24—Begin rollout of the CNS high-level organization chart and senior leadership team via http://www.cnstransition.com.
• Week of April 1—Participate in post-contract-award conference with National Nuclear Security Administration to “obtain clarification on NNSA expectations going forward.”
• April 2—Deliver high-level staffing plan to U.S. Department of Energy for review and approval. “The staffing plan will provide our proposed number of employees in CNS and our plans for moving forward with offers.”
• Mid-May—Provide details on benefits plans.

Haynes said more than 20 days of the four-month, or 120-day, transition are now complete. Here is more information from his message:

We are also planning opportunities for employees to interact with the CNS management team face-to-face in ways that will not impact current operations. We’ll continue to work details with the incumbent teams and will announce more information soon.

In addition to those milestones, we have many other activities to complete over the next 90-plus days to create a fully functioning company ready to execute work safely and securely from day one of the contract, including:

• “Blue-sheeting” all procedures and policies
• Performing walk-downs of facilities to take inventory of the property, materials, and equipment that we will assume responsibility for on July 1—everything from computers, office facilities, and vehicles to nuclear materials, explosives, and security measures
• Reviewing permits and licenses
• Completing initial determination and documentation of pre-existing conditions
• Establishing financial systems and reporting processes
• Defining staffing, benefits, and subcontracting plans
• Preparing for and performing readiness reviews for design authority, safety basis, engineering, and research and development activities
• Ensuring the continuity of safe, secure, quality operations at Pantex and Y-12, including assembly and disassembly, high-hazard work, and handling of radioactive materials

While we have much to do, we will remain focused on you, our future colleagues, as our top priority. We may also ask for your help to complete many of these tasks. And we will continue to strive to get you the information you need just as soon as we can. In the meantime, senior management and I will continue to be a presence at Pantex and Y-12 and look forward to interacting with you. We will also be providing more information on the CNS Transition website at http://www.cnstransition.com, including a Frequently Asked Questions page to share answers and information.

Thank you for your continued focus and support of your current missions. I look forward to working with you to ensure a seamless and successful transition, along with a bright and sustainable future for Pantex and Y-12.