[cross posted at 2020 Hindsight]
It's fully voluntary, you're not being coerced, but you'll be jobless if you don't comply
That's the upshot from NASA Administrator Mike Griffin to staff members of Jet Propulsion Laboratory about a new badge requirement where all employees, for the sake of national security, must submit themselves to extensive! background checks.
It's called HSPD12 -- homeland security presidential directive #12, and there's a web site put together by those employees who are fighting the process. What about lab custodial staff? Lowly administration? Yep, they gotta do it, too.
Today a group of employees announced that they're filing a suit against NASA and Caltech to stop the process. Press release announcing the suit, Pasadena Star News story.
Just so you know, JPL is not run by NASA directly; JPL is run by an educational institution--Caltech-- under a contract from NASA. Check out the overview of the situation.
There are strange things in the HSPD-12 website FAQ page, especially in the "voluntary" section
- Is the JPL rebadging process voluntary?
No. Those who don't participate will have their employment terminated.
- Has anyone claimed the rebadging process is voluntary?
Yes. The process is described as voluntary on the SF85 and SF85P forms, and by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and JPL Director Charles Elachi. Doug Sanders of the JPL Ethics office states that it is voluntary because the definition of "voluntary" involves a choice, and here there is a choice between terminating employment and complying with HSPD-12. By this reasoning, handing over your wallet to a mugger also would be voluntary when he offers the choice of "your money or your life."
[...] 4. Will foreign nationals be able to continue working at JPL as before, with no new badge, while U.S. citizens are terminated?
Yes. U.S. citizens that do not go through the HSPD-12 process will be terminated. Foreign nationals that do not go through this process will continue working as before because a new process has not yet been defined for them.
I've been aware of it for a while (NASAwatch has been covering this), but I haven't blogged about it before now. [Disclosure: my boyfriend works at JPL] If I continue to cover this, I'll stay away from discussions about people I know who work there.
On my own blog I followed the post with another post describing what it was like to be interviewed for the renewal of a clearance. After she asked me questions, I asked her questions about her job.
Based on that (it's a little out of date), I predict that there's a shortage of people to conduct background checks. So I have no idea how they'll get the resources to conduct checks on an institution where 5000 people work.
But all in all, it's kind of galling to think that if you want to explore the solar system, you have to give the Gov't access to TMI and your bank account info.