University of California officials announced Wednesday an agreement with the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union regarding special wage increases for lower-paid employees. The agreement affects 23 employees in the technical (TX) and research professional (RX) bargaining units at Berkeley Lab. Lab employees within the RX bargaining unit earning more than $30,000 but less than $35,000 will receive a 1 percent increase. Those earning more than $35,000 but less than $40,000 get a .5 percent increase. Lab employees in the TX bargaining unit earning more than $35,000 but less than $40,000 will receive a .5 percent increase. Increases for both TX and RX groups are effective April 1, 2007. Full story.

ALS Physicist Receives
First Morehouse Prize

Freelon

Byron Freelon has been awarded the first Morehouse Prize by the National Society of Black Physicists, which recognizes graduates of historically black colleges and universities who have shown considerable promise as physics researchers and teachers. As a Berkeley Lab postdoc at the Advanced Light Source, he studied high-temperature superconductors and developed a molecular beam epitaxy chamber. He is currently a research scientist in the UC Berkeley group led by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau exploring the behavior of high-temperature superconductors and liquid crystal systems using x-ray scattering. Full story.

Lab Employee Chosen
As Regent Staff Advisor

Johansen

University of California President Robert Dynes Wednesday announced the selection of William Johansen, business manager for Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division, as the 2007-09 staff advisor to the UC Board of Regents. The staff advisor program allows for two staff to be selected to participate in open sessions of certain committees of the board. Staff advisors bring the voice and perspective of staff and non-Senate academic employees to board deliberations on relevant matters that come before the regents. Full story. Go here to read a feature story on Johansen that appeared in the February issue of The View.

Weekend Phone, Network Outages in Building 937

The microwave radios that support the telephone and network systems for Building 937 (Downtown Center) will be temporarily relocated while work is done on the roof.  This may cause service disruptions beginning at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Work should be completed by 5 p.m. on Sunday. For emergencies, use cell phones to call 911.

Lab's Asian Club
Hosts Food Festival

Berkeley Lab's Asian Association is hosting a food festival tomorrow in Berkeley's Cesar Chavez Park. All employees are invited to attend the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is free, but participants are encouraged to bring a dish to share.

Cafeteria Changes: Peets Coffee and Holiday Hours

With the Fourth-of-July holiday taking place next week, the cafeteria will adjust its hours of business. Like the rest of the Lab, it will be closed on Wednesday. A full menu will be offered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. However the coffee bar will close at 2 p.m. on each of those days. In related news, the coffee bar will become a Peet's Coffee and Tea station starting Monday, July 16. Also, the imminent arrival of a new cooler will increase the amount of Grab-and-Go selections available to staff. A new shipment of clothes and accessories, all featuring the distinctive Lab logo, is available for purchase.