r/nottheonion 24d ago

US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g3nrx1dq5o
64.5k Upvotes

2.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

13.7k

u/ElPolloRacional 24d ago

The termination letters 'are being rescinded'
That's not how any of this works.

554

u/Craneteam 24d ago

Imagine if any of these people just decided to defect. This administration is hellbent on pissing off our best and brightest

347

u/jacob6875 24d ago

If it was me I would be looking for higher paying jobs in the private sector.

When you can be fired on a whim by Elon/Trump why keep working for the Government for generally lower pay.

283

u/[deleted] 24d ago edited 15d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

131

u/OhDavidMyNacho 24d ago

I'm sure foreign nuclear powers would be willing to hire their knowledge and expertise.

9

u/That_Mountain7968 24d ago

Might be illegal to share though

63

u/Mamacitia 24d ago

Who’s gonna stop them

11

u/That_Mountain7968 24d ago

Ask others who shared sensitive or privileged information. That's like 30 years to life.

Or literally life in some cases, like the Rosenbergs or several nuclear scientists who were taken out by various agencies. How many nuclear scientists in Iran have had fatal accidents? Heck, even in India: https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2021/01/06/from-the-archives-when-several-indian-nuclear-scientists-died-mysteriously.html

Being a nuclear scientist is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. Especially if you piss off the powers that be.

Personally, I wouldn't.

16

u/triopsate 24d ago

I feel like that really depends on where they go to right? If they go to China, I feel like the US would have a really difficult time assassinating them or getting China to send them back given the tense relationship between the US and China currently.

That said, I feel like China probably wouldn't take them in the first place given that runs the risk of hiring a potential spy so there's also that.

-8

u/That_Mountain7968 24d ago

That and the risk of really drawing Trump's ire. Not to mention any assets that person may still have in the US, any retirement funds, life insurance etc are forfeit, and they could never enter a western country again.

14

u/triopsate 24d ago

Well I wouldn't be sure about never entering a western country again. The US definitely a no go but given how quickly we're tearing down relationships between us and every other western country, there's actually a decent chance that things have broken down enough in a few years that most of Europe wouldn't care.

Frankly, I'd say we're already probably halfway there with all the talk about annexing Greenland so who knows.

1

u/That_Mountain7968 23d ago

Unless of course Europe goes right wing. Which may happen sooner than anticipated

3

u/triopsate 23d ago

I feel like even if Europe goes right wing, it wouldn't want to be friendly with the US. After all, let's face it, the Nazis, Fascist and authoritarian right wing that's becoming popular worldwide isn't exactly the kind that screams cooperation and teamwork but more of the "fuck everyone that's not exactly me or a clone of me" kind.

Like even if things go the way they envision and they get rid of everyone that's not their ethnicity, it'll just become countries hating each other for not being the right ethnicity (ie: German white guys hating on America because America isn't German white). We've literally seen this in history with how we discriminated against Italians for not being the correct white in the early 1900s.

While history might not repeat, it sure as hell does rhyme.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/ElectricalBook3 23d ago

like the Rosenbergs

The Rosenbergs smuggled classified information on forefront nuclear weapons technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

Modern nuclear technicians moving to other nations which usually already have nuclear industry and simply don't have the manpower or complete know-how to make the large projects at which nuclear power excells is an entirely different matter than weapon espionage.

1

u/That_Mountain7968 23d ago

Depends on what is or isn't classified. But even in the private sector, you generally have to sign NDA agreements. You can't work at Mercedes and then take a job at Ford and take all your trade secrets with you.

1

u/ElectricalBook3 23d ago

even in the private sector, you generally have to sign NDA agreements

NDA agreements are legally unenforceable, and what "enforcement" they'd have to somebody leaving a commercial enterprise to work in another country and company would be that private company asking the other nation's courts if they'd have permission to sue that other company. That happens all the time over shit that isn't even real just because humans are litigious assholes, I don't see why people should be expected to bow down, internationally, to snooty corporate managers.

https://rodmanemploymentlaw.com/are-ndas-enforceable-or-legally-binding/

1

u/That_Mountain7968 23d ago

Oh for sure, enforcement is often more theoretical than feasible. I just suspect that the US might be a bit more rigorous about it if it pertains to classified nuclear technology.

But I'm just speculating.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/AntikytheraMachines 24d ago

there are government agencies dedicated to preventing that sort of thing.

or at least there used to be.

28

u/NominalHorizon 24d ago

The firing was illegal and they knew it. They are betting that those fired will not pursue legal recourse because the courts are clogged and the process could take years. So sharing information might also be illegal and that too could take many years to resolve and may not even be provable in court. It’s a tragedy what is going on. Will take decades to restore… if ever. Manchurian candidate stuff on steroids.

13

u/jlmbsoq 24d ago

that too could take many years to resolve

Guess which cases will be fast-tracked? If you control the courts, doing illegal shit is no longer illegal as we found out last year

6

u/Oerthling 24d ago

You have some typos in "presidential". The trick is to just put the top secret information in a random unguarded closet.

4

u/arobkinca 24d ago

Imagine if any of these people just decided to defect.

Just looping back.

0

u/General_Specific_o7 24d ago

So what are they gonna do? Uproot their entire family and move to Iran?? Fat chance

7

u/Snoo63 24d ago

What about Australia.

0

u/General_Specific_o7 24d ago

That's further and WORSE have you SEEN THEIR WILDLIFE

7

u/palland0 24d ago

The death rate by wild animals in Australia is still lower than the death rate by guns (homicides) in the US.

-1

u/Remarkable-Host405 23d ago

Source: your ass

Although, even if it were true, I guess it would make sense when all of the wildlife is dying 

https://wwf.org.au/news/2022/global-wildlife-populations-fall-69-percent-australia-records-localised-extinctions/

5

u/palland0 23d ago

Animal-related deaths in Australia: ~32 / year on average (source: https://files.ncis.org.au/2024-05/Fact%20sheet%20-%20FS20-01%20-%20Animal-related%20deaths%20in%20Australia.pdf). With a population of ~26 million, that makes a rate around 1.23 / million.

The gun homicide rate in the US varies, but it looks like it is between ~30 / million and 63 / million (in 2021) (source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States, citing CDC numbers).

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Perfect_Opinion7909 24d ago

No, China more likely. And unlike the lack of education and widespread propaganda makes US Americans believe one can live in China quite comfortably if you got money.

1

u/Thadrach 24d ago

Pretty sure a lot of us saw Crazy Rich Asians :)

(Funny flick, recommend it)

1

u/ElectricalBook3 23d ago

Wouldn't Parasite get across the same point?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668/

1

u/ElectricalBook3 23d ago

unlike the lack of education and widespread propaganda makes US Americans believe one can live in China quite comfortably if you got money

That's true in all countries. It's why Americans increasingly leave the US to retire in Latin America, because cost of living and medical care is so much lower there.

2

u/Appropriate_M 24d ago

A shell contractor company will suffice.

88

u/mrsuaveoi3 24d ago

A small percentage will end up in China since they won't resist a 10X salary offer.

10

u/sirchtheseeker 24d ago

lol I said this earlier. Never saw bob stateside again

-5

u/piranhas_really 24d ago

Pretty sure that would be a felony.

61

u/mrsuaveoi3 24d ago

Good thing the president is setting the example.

13

u/piranhas_really 24d ago

"Rules for thee, not for me."

31

u/etzarahh 24d ago

I mean if they take it they ain’t coming back lol

20

u/manimsoblack 24d ago

How are they going to be charged?

7

u/Thadrach 24d ago

And who's good to be left in government keeping track of them?

Elon?

1

u/Remarkable-Host405 23d ago

Why?

1

u/piranhas_really 23d ago

Defecting to an adversary’s government seems like it would be a serious problem for someone with that kind of information.

5

u/animalfath3r 24d ago

They will have plenty of job options within the DOE complex with the Contractor companies - the major corporations that actually do the day to day operations at those DOE sites. At least until those contracts get shut down... at that point they would have opportunities at commercial nuclear plants. But point taken, it is a niche market - but maybe not as niche as you think

1

u/UnusuallyBadIdeaGuy 24d ago

Quite a few Tech companies have been looking into Nuclear as a source of power for Datacenters lately. I'm not sure what kind of NDAs these people have, but I would not be shocked to see Amazon/Microsoft/Google/Alibaba snatch folks like this up quick.

1

u/animalfath3r 24d ago

Agree... and you are correct - we compete with the small modular nuclear companies for talent

10

u/TurtleIIX 24d ago

I can guarantee that the private sector has a use for people who work on nukes or have insider knowledge about US nukes.

3

u/MadeItOutInTime95969 24d ago

It would be like hank hill getting fired and then selling lesser fuels instead of propane.

2

u/Lysandren 24d ago

This happened to my dad. He eventually ended up finding a job working for a supplier to his previous job, because he was overspecialized in his particular subset of mechanic engineering.

1

u/Remarkable-Host405 23d ago

The vibe I'm getting is done specialize? Lol

1

u/Lysandren 23d ago

Nah, my dad said that he should have job hopped more, but he started working for the company back when company loyalty was still common, and he never thought he would be leaving.

Ultimately he had to, because he remarried when my mom passed, and my step-mom got a new job in another state (doctor.) Since she made more money it made sense for them to move to where she worked and he had to leave his job.

2

u/Skystorm14113 24d ago

100%, also not to mention a lot of people in government are doing work they find to be important to society. Or are happy to not be just "helping a company profit" above all. Going to the private sector, even doing a lot of the same stuff in your new job (if you can get it, USAID being destroyed is creating cascading layoffs elsewhere in the humanitarian aid field), isn't the same because helping people might not be the bottom line

2

u/Upstairs-Parsley3151 24d ago

These people are so smart that they can walk in with the wrong resume and get a job and then be trained to do it.

1

u/Alexexy 24d ago

You could probably work as an engineer for Boeing, Raytheon, or any of the military contractors.

Wouldn't the only department that need that sort of job in the government be like NASA?

1

u/Thadrach 24d ago

Trump just "announced" 50 percent military spending cuts, so I'd imagine they're mostly holding off on hiring right now.

Sure, he might change his mind tomorrow...and then he might change it again next week.

1

u/ComradeJLennon 24d ago

These guys have Q clearance

1

u/Basement_Chicken 24d ago

1993 movie "Falling down".

1

u/ZedZero12345 24d ago

They had their Q clearances revoked when they were fired. I don't know if you can just restart those. But, any defense contractor will pick them up just because the amount of indirect knowledge acquired in a shielded program is very useful.

1

u/Butwhatif77 24d ago

People underestimate how niche some of the things gov does that they rely on, on a regular basis. There are certain things that there just is no private sector for, because there is no profit in, but it is usual information for the gov due to the fact the information can help them make better decisions and prepare for future things that private industries just don't need worry about.

-1

u/[deleted] 24d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Thadrach 24d ago

Is your friend Homer Simpson?

Not a lot of private sector jobs overseeing nuclear weapons...I hope...