Reactor Worker Glad to Return to the Savannah River Site
Jamie Bing of New Ellenton, received a call not many would expect during an economic downturn. Bing, 33, who was laid off from the Savannah River Site (SRS) last summer, got word that he’d be going back to work at the site under the Recovery Act Project.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Bing said. “With the economy suffering, I knew good jobs were hard to come by. A job with the Recovery Act at SRS was almost too good to be true.”
It was true. In April, shortly after Congress and the U.S. Department of Energy awarded SRS $1.6 billion in Recovery Act funds to stimulate the local economy through jobs, business contracts and site-specific work to accelerate environmental projects, Bing was offered a job at SRS through one of 13 staff augmentation firms that are filling Recovery Act positions at the site.
Bing’s first stint at SRS was in construction from 2001-2008, but, due to budget constraints, his position was eliminated in July 2008. Bing, who is married and is a father of three, searched for a new job and had found part-time work with a moving company in the interim.
Now, back at SRS, Bing has found a familiar work environment but a different job with the reactors closure project. “Every day is different,” he said. “Each day has a new plan and offers change.” Those are two things that he likes.
He’s frank in stating he doesn’t know how he would have gotten a full-time job in the present-day economy if it weren’t for the Recovery Act Project. “There’s a lot of competition right now in a struggling economy,” he said.
Though happy to be working again and be at the Savannah River Site, Bing knows his job expires at the end of September 2011. He hopes new jobs will be available at the site but is realistically broadening his skills in anticipation of being a more marketable employee in the nuclear industry. He sees flexibility as the key in gaining diverse skills that will train the new generation of nuclear worker.
“The Recovery Act gave me a great job that is teaching me new skills,” he explained. “I’ll be able to take those to another job in the field.”
More than 1,500 jobs have been retained or created at SRS through the Recovery Act. By the end of October, most of the projected 3,000 people who will benefit from the stimulus bill will be at work on Recovery Act projects. The jobs are almost equally divided between those with technical and professional qualifications, skilled crafts and trade, and general employment. The act also funds the acceleration of environmental clean up projects that will reduce the site’s footprint by 40 percent to free up additional land within SRS for future projects.
Additional information on the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and the Savannah River Site can be found at http://www.em.doe.gov or http://www.srs.gov. For more information about the SRS Recovery Act Project, visit www.srs.gov/recovery.
Recovery Act Responsible for Bringing Back Former SRS Worker
