In CO, the Rocky Flats plant was, for many years, part of the nuclear arsenal. It was closed in the last few years, and is being decommissioned.
That's where the Republican dirty tricks begin.
This is appalling. When you make a promise, you should keep the promise. That's what honest people do. However, that's not today's Repuke party.
Below the fold...
From today's Denver Post:
Because they helped finish the cleanup of the nuclear bomb facility early, some who worked there missed out on benefits that were set to kick in soon.
Of all the nonsensical things the U.S. Senate has done this term, denying health care coverage to former Rocky Flats workers ranks near the top.
Cleanup and closure of the former nuclear bomb factory near Boulder had been slated for late 2006. Managers asked workers to speed up the job, and the cleanup was finished this fall, a year early, saving taxpayers at least $500 million.
The early closure came just days before scores of workers would have qualified for retirement benefits, including future health insurance. Thousands of people worked at Rocky Flats over the years, but these employees had special job skills and stayed to see the cleanup through to completion. Without them, the final tasks might not have been done so quickly.
So, they were asked to work faster, they did work faster, and I just bet that some of them said, "Can we trust that we will be taken care of?" and they were told, "Of course! The US Government wouldn't stiff you folks."
But...
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., pushed to get $15 million in the federal budget to close the benefits gap. Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar supported it.
But last week, their colleagues refused to pony up. That's right: Rocky Flats workers saved taxpayers a half-billion dollars but the Senate refused to put up $15 million to cover future medical bills.
Without retiree benefits, Rocky Flats workers may have trouble getting private health insurance because their jobs involved handling radioactive materials.
This is not just bad faith, this is gonna actually wreck these people. Can you imagine someone trying to get health insurance, with a history of working with radioactive materials. Ain't gonna happen, boys and girls.
The Senate's failure signaled workers at other Department of Energy sites that being efficient only means they'll be left out in the cold. The DOE had hoped that Rocky Flats' efficient closure would be a model for cleanups at other nuclear defense facilities. For example, Rocky Flats managers and employees together figured out how to safely dismantle manufacturing "canyons" - the same kind of long, huge buildings that the DOE would now like to demolish at its Savannah River, S.C., site.
Taking down the enormous, enclosed structures requires enthusiastic cooperation and keen attention to detail from front- line workers. It's dangerous labor where one mistake can expose workers to risky radiation levels.
The upshot: The feds may face billions of dollars in extra cleanup costs because future workers will recall what happened to Rocky Flats employees and push back against efficiency measures. Talk about being penny-wise and dollar-foolish.
Allard deserves applause for trying to do the right thing, but unfortunately he isn't likely to get another chance to press the issue this year. The most charitable explanation is that senators who voted down the request didn't understand the issue. Still, their failure was outrageous.
This needs publicity. This could be a huge story, if played right.
US Senate and Republican Party stabs workers in the back to give themselves huge tax cuts.