James Doyle, the Los Alamos National Laboratory nonproliferation analyst who claimed he was let go by the lab after writing a paper advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons, had his second whistleblower claim accepted by the National Nuclear Security Administration and began mediation with the lab yesterday. Doyle’s initial whistleblower complaint was based on his allegation that he was retaliated against after a journal article he wrote was classified after it was initially approved for release, and that complaint was rejected. But he filed a second complaint based on the fact that he was let go by the lab in July before his first whistleblower complaint was resolved. That complaint was upheld Nov. 5, and mediation with the lab began yesterday at DOE’s Forrestal Building. If the mediation is not successful, the complaint can be referred to DOE’s Office of Hearings and Appeals for an investigation and a hearing. Last night, Doyle said no agreement had been reached but both sides were considering options. The lab did not respond to a request for comment.
Doyle said he is not expecting to get his old job back, but would like a more substantial severance package than the 3 ½ months he was offered when he was let go by the lab. He also said he’d like additional benefits, including health insurance, retirement and University of California in-state tuition for his children, which is a benefit provided to lab employees. “There’s a possibility” of returning to the lab, he said, “but at this point I don’t want my job back. The atmosphere is still toxic. The manager that made these decisions, several of them are still there. I guess there is a possibility they could put together a proposal to me for a multi-year contract but it’s kind of ridiculous because they claimed they laid me off because they didn’t have any work for me … so what am I going to work on.”