Savannah River Site Per Diem

[jzones]

In case you haven't heard they (Fluor, as SRNS) is reducing perdiem by almost 40% at the Savannah River Site. That coupled with the way Flour treats Staff Augumentation contractors makes this a place to avoid if at all possible. Most site workers are long term permanent and they really have a hard time with temporary personnel. If you must come here consider increasing your hourly billing rate, you'll need it to cover costs as the current perdiem rates will not do it for you. Unless your planning on living in your car.

Flour likes to advertise much longer employment periods than what you'll actuall work and overtime goes to onsite permanent not temporary employees.

[snowman]

In case you haven't heard they (Fluor, as SRNS) is reducing perdiem by almost 40% at the Savannah River Site. That coupled with the way Flour treats Staff Augumentation contractors makes this a place to avoid if at all possible. Most site workers are long term permanent and they really have a hard time with temporary personnel. If you must come here consider increasing your hourly billing rate, you'll need it to cover costs as the current perdiem rates will not do it for you. Unless your planning on living in your car.

Flour likes to advertise much longer employment periods than what you'll actuall work and overtime goes to onsite permanent not temporary employees.

So the overtime should go to the contractors first and not the permanent employees who've made that area home? Also, SRS back in the pre ARRA days usually never paid per diem to contractor HP's. I spent half of the 1990's there, I thought Westinghouse SRS was a pretty good place to work.  I think right now is as good as it's been for rent-a-techs in a long time. $100K+/yr for a 40 hour a week job at some of these places, not too shabby. Just my .02 cents worth...

[jzones]

I agree if that had been the original arrangement. They are still hurting for solid rad people. I would encourage you to get your deal up front as the arrangements change often.

[Rennhack]

Would you please explain how a contract HP earns $100K+/yr for a 40 hour a week job?  Do you base this on the hourly wage alone?  Or, are you including the estimated value of gratuities like health insurance, dental insurance, paid vacations, sick days, holiday pay, 401k matching contributions, structured retirement plan, and the like?

It would be hrly + Per Diem.

$35/hr * 2080 hrs = $72,800
$123/day * 365 days = $43,788 ($123 is Standard per Diem Rate for Oct 2010 -  Sep 2011)
Total = $116,588/yr

OR

$35.00/hr * 2080 hrs = $72,800
$52.50/hr *  520 hrs = $27,300 ($35 * 1.5 = $52.50)
Total = $100,100/yr


Above are 2 examples.  One working 40hrs/week with the standard per Diem, The other working 50 hrs/wk with no per Diem.  $100k+/yr is easily achievable.

(Note:  I understand that you shouldn't count overtime, or per Diem, but people do.  I also understand that you shouldn't get per Diem for a whole year... but people do.  -- It's just an example.)

[Already Gone]

Good math.
But, let's not overlook the tendency of some people in our profession to exaggerate the hell out of things like how much money they make.

[stownsend]

Good math.
But, let's not overlook the tendency of some people in our profession to exaggerate the hell out of things like how much money they make.

And how much they're worth or know.

[BetaAnt]

Problem with the math and contract reality. 
RH, your hours are in error. 2080 is based on 52 - 40hr weeks. SRS has 11 holidays. That would give you 1990 hours per year. SRS has never paid the GSA per diem rate to rent-a-techs. Currently PD and benefits are tied to a 40 hour week. You may get paid $35/hr but, your OT rate will be based on YOUR base rate without per diem, health and welfare benefits, holidays, and vacation (i.e. $35 ST and $33 OT - base of $22.00).
Until this year rent-a-tech HP have never been paid more than $30/hr. RAT contract have a rider limiting OT to less than 200 hours per contract year UNLESS the contract is amended with authorization from SRS management and HR (ain't happening). Site RadCon Inspectors b!tch to HR at the drop of a hat to protest RAT OT when house radcon has not been offered the same overtime (all FREAKIN' 420 of them). A lot of topped out SRS RCIs make more than their supervisors. Hell, why unionize SRS RadCon when you have such a sweetheart deal? I know of a more than a few SRS RCIs that buy a new Mercedes every three years, cruise the Bahamas and brag that they have maxed out their SS contribution. 
RATs get the shaft of at SRS unless you are selling something else or have tape of senior management screwing your pre-teen. 

BA 

[Rennhack]

Problem with the math and contract reality.  
RH, your hours are in error. 2080 is based on 52 - 40hr weeks. SRS has 11 holidays. That would give you 1990 hours per year. SRS has never paid the GSA per diem rate to rent-a-techs. Currently PD and benefits are tied to a 40 hour week. You may get paid $35/hr but, your OT rate will be based on YOUR base rate without per diem, health and welfare benefits, holidays, and vacation (i.e. $35 ST and $33 OT - base of $22.00).
Until this year rent-a-tech HP have never been paid more than $30/hr. RAT contract have a rider limiting OT to less than 200 hours per contract year UNLESS the contract is amended with authorization from SRS management and HR (ain't happening). Site RadCon Inspectors b!tch to HR at the drop of a hat to protest RAT OT when house radcon has not been offered the same overtime (all FREAKIN' 420 of them). A lot of topped out SRS RCIs make more than their supervisors. Hell, why unionize SRS RadCon when you have such a sweetheart deal? I know of a more than a few SRS RCIs that buy a new Mercedes every three years, cruise the Bahamas and brag that they have maxed out their SS contribution.  
RATs get the shaft of at SRS unless you are selling something else or have tape of senior management screwing your pre-teen.  

BA  

They said they made 100k a year.  They didn't say it was at SRS, neither did I.  I answered the question asked.

[Already Gone]

Problem with the math and contract reality. 
RH, your hours are in error. 2080 is based on 52 - 40hr weeks. SRS has 11 holidays. That would give you 1990 hours per year. SRS has never paid the GSA per diem rate to rent-a-techs. Currently PD and benefits are tied to a 40 hour week. You may get paid $35/hr but, your OT rate will be based on YOUR base rate without per diem, health and welfare benefits, holidays, and vacation (i.e. $35 ST and $33 OT - base of $22.00).
Until this year rent-a-tech HP have never been paid more than $30/hr. RAT contract have a rider limiting OT to less than 200 hours per contract year UNLESS the contract is amended with authorization from SRS management and HR (ain't happening). Site RadCon Inspectors b!tch to HR at the drop of a hat to protest RAT OT when house radcon has not been offered the same overtime (all FREAKIN' 420 of them). A lot of topped out SRS RCIs make more than their supervisors. Hell, why unionize SRS RadCon when you have such a sweetheart deal? I know of a more than a few SRS RCIs that buy a new Mercedes every three years, cruise the Bahamas and brag that they have maxed out their SS contribution. 
RATs get the shaft of at SRS unless you are selling something else or have tape of senior management screwing your pre-teen. 

BA 

Reality for sure.  It seems to suck to be a contract tech at SRS.
If I read it right, there are 11 holidays that they DON'T pay you for?
Are you saying:

• that when an SRS tech comes here and brags about making $35/hr, he is really making $22/hr plus a measly $520/week per diem (if he works 40 hours)?
  that SRS contract techs are limited to 200 hours of OT per year?
  that they are not likely to get that 200 hours of OT?
  that house techs get preference for OT?
  that house techs make more money (such that they can afford nice new cars and vacations?
  that hourly house techs make more money than their salaried bosses?

I guess my questions to you are:
What about any of this seems unusual to you?
Why wouldn't you just apply for a house job if they get such a better deal?

[mostlyharmless]

You stayed there for how many years? 12? It must have been really bad. Get over it. You got yourself ran off and instead of standing up you try to trash the place that paid your bills for over a decade. A lot of techs were hired since you started,you could have been one of them. Besides,your complaint is with the company you worked for,not SRS. And when I started there I made 20$hr and no diem. House was making a little less at the time.And when I went house it was 18$hr. You make you choices. Now I make a lot more and I still can't seem to afford a new Merc every three years.Its mostly true about overtime though. I do know one sub that is placed in the ot roster along with everyone else. And house was excluded from some sub ot rosters. No you do not represent the site fairly, but thats not your aim is it? Oh and I worked a few holidays as a sub.

[azkidd]

I have been working this plant since January.  40 hrs per week except for the scheduled 28 day outage.  I will be here until the end of December.  Currently at 81K+change, 13 weeks to go!  Gross $1770 weekly, wage and diem only.  Do the math.  I think Mike has it right!  And I don't even get paid near the numbers he is calculating!  I need a 3/4 ton vs the 1/2 ton I currently have.  Need to start shopping for Christmas!  Oh...I forgot...I don't get paid any vacation or Holidays.  I am happy!  4-10's and 3-day weekends!

[metalman40]

I don't know where everyone is getting these numbers but I recently left SRS and my base rate was $35.00 per hour.
I had a little over $3.00 added to that for health and welfare benefit. And $14.00/hr added on for diem. so for a 40 hour work week my pay rate was $38/hr taxable and $14/hr untaxed. OT was at 1.5X$35 or $52.50/hr.

At the solid waste facility we were getting offered ot .

[HenryBlack]

I haven't worked there in a few years now, but when I was there for 4 years in the Burial Grounds I was treated exactly like a house person. If they got overtime and there was enough of it then I got it too. If there was just enough overtime work  for one or two people then I had to wait unitl they all turned it down. Thats the way it is pretty much everywhere that I work. I worked for VAS last time I was there and they paid us holiday pay for I believe 9 days and vacation pay accrued by the week that you could start to use after 90 days. Of course I don't get per-diem there so I didn't have to worry about that. I believe they are just like any other place where they are going to take care of their own first, and I don't blame them for that. If there is a problem with the way a Contractor treats people then maybe they should be getting the blame and not SRS. Oh well enough of that plus I have to cover the SPA, so i better get over there. Take care and be Safe.

[Rennhack]

Good math.
But, let's not overlook the tendency of some people in our profession to exaggerate the hell out of things like how much money they make.

I posted above how a RP Tech working in the DOE world could easily make over 100k a year.  I started to wonder what a Power Plant Outage Worker would get a year.  The answer is half.  Below is the math.

The assumptions that went into the calculations are as follows:  I assumed they would get 11 weeks of work each spring and each fall, for a total of 22 weeks a year.  This is based on the current fall outage schedule covering a max of 11 weeks.  I used an average wage of $23/hr, and an average of 60 hrs a week.  I also included 100/day per diem. – No bonus or travel pay was included.
$23/hr x 60 hrs a week = $1,610 + $700 Diem = $2,310/wk x 22 weeks = $50,820.

There you have it.  Some RP’s make $50k/yr, some make over $100k/yr.  It depends if they prefer to have 30 weeks of vacation or not.

P.S.  If the power plant RP’s were making $35/hr and $123/day, they would make an additional $22k/yr ($72,842) – Not bad for 30 weeks off.

[walstib]

Additionally, most outage techs understand the unemployment requirements and the best states available for them to file.  Being conservative (without the extensions) lets say they max out after 26 weeks.  Average weekly benefit is approximately $550 per week x 26 weeks = $14,300 gross to be added to their yearly.  Add the $14,300 to your $72,842 = $87,142.  And you're right, thats not bad with 30 weeks off.

[mostlyharmless]

What would be a realistic yearly wage expectation on the road working outages?  I know folks here who have made over 100K in a year,not many,but they worked constantly, all over the site, every scrap of ot they could get,utilizing vacation time in order to work more. These were shift workers on a rotating 12 hr shift with a seven day break each month. For a house techs working 40hr/wk its tough to get over 70K. And they do not get 30weeks off.

[uRiaL]

RP Instructor is right.The bomb that SRNS dropped has annihilated almost all RP,heck any SUBCONTRACT personell who's getting per diem.The gist of the matter is that SRNS decided that whatever a corrupt few has done ,the remaining individuals must be doing also.I DISCERN  a lack of compassion and a bit of greed.    Heck it maybe even a political move.It would definitely hurt this presidency with a stimulus failure.It's not humane to Muzzle the OX while he's treading your grain I pray that the powers and principalities in charge take a long look at the new policies.I am pretty sure you have some believers in upper management too.This is just my spin on things,I could be wrong,could be right.Who knows???

[mostlyharmless]

What has happened?

[techtoolong]

Some one give us the scoop.  What happened ?

[RP Instructor]

uR.ieL hit the nail on the head. A number of people scammed Savannah River Nuclear Solutions for per diem they were not eligible for (in fact, we lost one of the contract instructors I worked with for that very reason), so SRNS chose to respond by shaving-back everyone's per diem by ~40%. The response has been disasterous....six (6) contract RP technicians alone left at the end of this week. It explains the "clear sailing" now at the Aiken barricade in the morning, whereas I once waited ~15 minutes to make it through the line of traffic to the security checkpoint. Evidently many people chose to move-on.

[techtoolong]

Wow that sucks for those people that really have 2 households going.  I would leave. Actually I would already be gone.

[alphatrakker]

Diem rules have changed.  They are now being enforced per gov regs.  Diem after a year?  Anywhere else get that?  BetaAnt was offered a house job 12-13 yrs ago and was too good to take it.  It's never good to start but it comes back.  OT for house is based on work group, currenlty 30 in D&D, not 420.  Contractors can and do work more than 200 hrs OT in a year, several on our list now.  I was RAT for 10 1/2 yrs before going house and it's tough taking the paycut but I know I'll get it back in the end.  I've said since the start ARRA would be the worst thing to happen to this site in it's history.  Proven right every day.  The biggest problem isn't the site but ARRA oversight.  Worse now than in normal operations mode.  Justification for everything and scrutiny beyond belief.

$.02

[uRiaL]

With rule changes should come fairness.When one entity can pay there personell a higher lodging and meal allowance then the other groups ,than its not really based on the government rate.  Theres more to this than meets the eye. With overtime at Savannah river ,a few months ago, you could of  lost a friend.To me,not worth friendships made.

[RP Instructor]

It's true that one's per diem is no longer tax-free after assignment at a location for more than one year. What I was receiving "tax-free" in per diem was subsequently 'rolled-over' into my hourly rate. Beginning on October 1, 2010, that  amount has since been reduced by ~40%. As stated previously, this is DOE's response to having paid per diem to those that were ineligible. A classic case of penalizing everyone for the sins of a few.

As for overtime, I don't get any for there is none to be had.

[alphatrakker]

I see things have changed at SRS.  In years past at the end of a year the diem just went away.  No roll over to taxable status.  I guess I look at it differently than most.  I have a job when millions don't but I tell myself that if I weren't working here I'd be working somewhere else.  It's a good time to have rad skills.  SRS is looking for techs again.  RP Inst. come join us on the other side of the fence.  OT to be had there.  The down side of your position is being hourly in a salaried position.  And no matter how you move the audio switch the light won't come on! 

see you round....