URS TERMINATES WTP E&NS MANAGER WHO ALLEGED RETALIATION

A key nuclear safety manager at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant who has alleged she has faced retaliation for raising safety concerns was terminated yesterday by URS, the Hanford vit plant subcontractor for which she worked. Donna Busche, who held the position of environmental and nuclear safety manager, told Weapons Complex Monitor yesterday that she had been told by URS officials that she was fired for “unprofessional conduct,” adding that she was provided no additional details as to the reason for her termination. Busche has filed two complaints with the Department of Labor in recent years alleging she has faced retaliation from WTP contractor Bechtel National and URS for raising safety issues, and she is also in the midst of a lawsuit against the two contractors. In her most recent DOL complaint, filed last fall, Busche raised more than 30 allegations against Bechtel National and URS, including accusing the contractors of excluding her from routine meetings, seeking to strip her of decision-making authority and going against technical decisions she has made. “This is the ultimate adverse action,” Busche said yesterday.

URS  declined to provide details yesterday as to why Busche was terminated, and reiterated denials that she had faced retaliation for raising concerns. “URS encourages its employees to raise concerns about safety, which is the company’s highest priority, and we have an excellent track record of safely operating nuclear facilities. Though URS supports Ms. Busche’s right to raise concerns and to express her personal views, we do not agree with her assertions that she suffered retaliation or was otherwise treated unfairly,” a company spokesman said in a statement. “Ms. Busche’s employment was terminated on February 18, 2014 due to issues unrelated to her purported concerns. Ms. Busche’s allegations will not withstand scrutiny, and URS looks forward to demonstrating through the legal process that the company and its managers acted appropriately and in full compliance with the law in their dealings with Ms. Busche.” In a message to WTP employees yesterday, Bechtel National Project Director Peggy McCullough said she had been informed earlier in the day "that URS took an employment action to terminate URS employee Donna Busche as a result of a URS investigation into misconduct, and that the action was not related to raising safety concerns or performance." McCullough added, "Safety and quality are our core values. As I have discussed with you in our all-employee sessions, we encourage you to raise concerns and we rely upon you to help surface and resolve our issues."

For its part, the Department of Energy sought to distance its leadership from URS’ decision to terminate Busche, saying it was not involved in the move. “The Department of Energy was informed that URS terminated Ms. Busche after the fact. The Department was not asked to and did not approve this action,” a DOE spokesperson said in a brief statement late yesterday. Busche was among those listed as “key personnel” in Bechtel National’s contract at the WTP. Under the contract, Bechtel National is to get approval from DOE for making changes in the set of key personnel. However, the contract does not specifically address when a subcontractor terminates someone who held a key personnel spot.