Lab's Offers to AFSCME
Included Wage Increases

In the wake of the announcement by the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees this week that the union has authorized a one-day strike for April 14, Berkeley Lab officials have released two letters that describe final offers made for union members last week. In both cases, the approximately 120 Lab employees affected (custodians, materials handlers, truck drivers, bus drivers, and technical assistants) would receive salary increases retroactive to Oct. 1, 2004. A 1.5% across-the-board increase would have provided full-time AFSCME employees an average of $454 to $648 in additional income per year. A second offer for merit-based pay increases would have given employees who met or exceeded expectations 2.55% to 3% more income. Go here to read the letter on SX Local Wage Negotiations, and here for the letter on the Local Wage Agreement. More on the impending strike and relevant negotiations will be reported in "Today at Berkeley Lab."

Council Simulation Panel
Adds Lab's Juan Meza

Meza

Juan Meza, head of the Computational Research Division's High Performance Computing Research Department, has been appointed as a member of the National Research Council Panel I: Modeling and Simulation, Systems Engineering, and Cost and Risk Analysis. The group is one of 10 panels to review NASA's Capability Roadmaps. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of further knowledge and advising the federal government.

EETD Researcher
Elected Institute's VP

Xu

Tengfang (Tim) Xu, a researcher in the Environmental Energy Technology Division's Indoor Environment Group, was recently elected as Technical Vice President of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST). IEST is an international professional society representing interests in contamination controls; design, testing, and evaluation procedures; and product reliability. Since joining IEST, Xu has promoted energy efficiency in the high-tech/contamination control industry and led efforts in cleanroom/fan-filter units/filtration technologies. IEST has awarded him two Maurice Simpson awards and, in 2004, the Willis J. Whitfield Award.

Report Sheds New Light
On Coronary Disease

Pennacchio

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the major killers in Western societies. Recently, mutations in a gene called MEF2A were reported to be causative of premature CAD. The authors of the report failed to find the mutation in a large number of control individuals and thus concluded that the MEF2A mutation was the cause of the CAD. A new study appearing in the April 1 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation overturns these findings. Len Pennacchio and colleagues from Berkeley Lab's Genomics Division have sequenced the MEF2A gene in about 300 patients with premature coronary heart disease. Full story.

The Primer Offers
Updates on JGI

A story on JGI's hummingbirds is in the latest Primer

The latest edition of The Primer, the Joint Genome Institute's quarterly newsletter, is now available. Included are stories on the hummingbirds that frequent the environs outside the JGI, the appointments of new senior managers, an update on their safety program, and a profile of Sandra McFarland, JGI's Finance/Materials manager. Go here to read the publication.

Class on Describing
Employee Success

Supervisors and managers who would like to create a well-written Attachment A (employee accomplishment worksheet) can attend a workshop on Wednesday, April 13, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. or 2:30 to 4 p.m. (Building 2-100B). Another session will be held on Thursday, April 21, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Building 66-316. Go here to register (ASD 9103).

Correction

Yesterday's issue of Today at Berkeley Lab listed the incorrect party affiliation for Congressman Vernon Ehlers. He is a Republican representing the Third District in Michigan.