Bonneville Power Administration Workforce Reduction

Building America's Golden Age

When I arrived at my husband’s office building in September 2009 I quickly noticed how the employees had changed since I had last visited him. After 19 Islamic terrorists slaughtered 2,997 people on September 11, 2001, the public was no longer allowed to enter the Bonneville Power Administration building in Portland, Oregon. Thus, I had not visited my husband’s office for over eight years. This would be my last visit because that day his co-workers in his small department were throwing him a retirement party.

Based upon the appearances of a significant number of BPA employees, one could be forgiven for assuming that BPA was a sheltered workshop. My husband had warned me. I had heard the stories about these employees over the previous 15 years or so. The events that troubled him the most were watching his heterosexual, healthy white male co-workers being disciplined for breaking the rules, while “diversity” employees could repeatedly, flagrantly break the rules with impunity.

Nevertheless, I was not prepared for what I saw: employees dressed like homeless people who had not bathed in months, employees who had no discernable gender (this was long before Obama created transgenderism) and employees covered with tattoos & piercings. The lack of professionalism was jaw dropping. Thank goodness the employees in his department looked and acted normal.

My husband decided to accept BPA’s bonus to retire early from his job as IT Specialist at BPA, an agency within the US Department of Energy, because he could no longer tolerate the hypocrisy and racism. They were only offering these “reduction in force” bonuses to heterosexual, healthy white men at or above GS-13 grade level and over age 55, to make room for more “diversity.” Indeed, they had been pushing these early retirements and “diversity” hirings for about 15 years by then. The Clinton Administration had decided to make the US Department of Energy and two other federal agencies guinea pigs^ in stretching “diversity” quotas and diminishing the importance of skills, experience and education.

BPA’S REDUCTION IN WORKFORCE

The Bonneville Power Administration will likely lose nearly 20% of its 3,100 workforce because of President Donald Trump’s effort to shrink the size of the federal government, which is the nation’s largest employer. According to BPA, about 200 workers resigned after accepting a federal buyout. An additional 90 job offers were rescinded. By late last Thursday, sources said, more than 100 new workers were fired.

US Senator Patty Murray, Democrat, of Washington complained: “These firings will raise energy costs for Washington ratepayers and jeopardize the reliability of the grid in the Northwest, a genuinely life-or-death concern for millions!” BPA receives no money from federal taxpayers. It is self-funded by selling power at the wholesale level to utilities. Murray, who votes against the US Constitution 100% of the time, did not complain when the State of Washington closed four hydroelectric dams located in the state.

BPA also confirmed it shut down its DEI Office in January to be in compliance with President Trump’s executive order cracking down on all diversity, equity and inclusion grifts. They would not reveal how many DEI employees lost their jobs. “We’re working closely with the Department of Energy to carry out the President’s directives,” said CEO John Hairston.

^This huge agency developed into a sheltered workshop where people who could not compete in the regular workplace, but could handle simple tasks, were employed, and those that had been hired based upon merit were carrying the extra workload (though not being paid for it).