Local Bargaining Update: Discussions Continuing 

Discussions are continuing between negotiators representing Berkeley Lab, the University of California, and employee unions in hopes of reaching agreements on the issues soon. While tentative agreement has been reached on a new local wage proposal for Lab employees in the research support (RX) and technical (TX) units in the UPTE union (pending membership vote), negotiations with CUE (clerical), AFSCME (service) and Skilled Trades are ongoing. The Laboratory's update on these talks can be read here.

SLAC Accelerator Restarts After Probes

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory's SPEAR3 facility completed its restart validation process last week, and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) Director Jonathan Dorfan, after consultation with the Department of Energy, gave the green light to restart operations. Dorfan had ordered the immediate suspension of operations after a serious electrical accident last fall. In December, Stanford President John Hennessy appointed a panel of scientists — including former Berkeley Lab Director Charles Shank — and safety specialists to assess safety procedures and improvements being made at SLAC. Full story.

Monday Generator
Test Scheduled

Facilities will carry out the monthly test run of the 2-megawatt 12kV Generator on Monday. The procedures will be transparent to the Lab community and it is highly unlikely that an interruption of power will occur. However, the possibility of an electrical power interruption on SW-A6 Bus 1, which feeds buildings 51 and 64 and the 90 Complex, always exists. Personnel are asked to take all necessary precautions. A Hill-wide public address announcement will be made prior to the test run. For questions or additional information, contact Jim Murphy at x4175.

Rokhsar		Blakely
Kisielowski		Visco

UCTV Schedules Video Replays of '03 Lectures

Presentations from Berkeley Lab's 2003 Summer Lecture Series are now available for viewing thanks to the University of California's television production office. UCTV programming can be found nationwide on Dish Network satellite, Channel 9412, and on selected cable channels throughout California, including Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Marin (see complete list here). "Beyond the Human Genome: What's Next" is first in the series and will be shown in Berkeley on cable channel 33, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Lecturers Dan Rokhsar, Christian Kisielowski, Ellie Blakely, and Steve Visco will appear at various dates on "Teachers' Pet," weekdays at 4 p.m. Go here for a full schedule, including links to web-based video showings.

Animal Cell Contact Contaminates Stem Cells

Healy

A Daily Cal story on the contamination of "all existing human embryonic stem cell lines" with material from animal cells — based on a report by researchers at UC San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies — features comments by UC Berkeley professor and Berkeley Lab guest Randy Schekman and Berkeley Lab materials scientist Kevin Healy, who is working on creating new cell lines that use non-animal feeder layers. Full story.