Tri-Cities’ largest single employer asks workers to volunteer for layoffs

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland has sent out memos offering voluntary layoffs to selected employees.

Its goal is to “minimize the need for involuntary actions,” said recent memos to employees who are in operational units selected for voluntary layoffs.

Earlier this month the Tri-Cities’ largest single employer told workers that it was preparing for cuts by attrition and “voluntary separation” in certain research programs due to uncertainty in the federal budget.

“Battelle has made every effort to minimize impacts to our workforce and will continue to do so,” Battelle spokeswoman Dawn Zimmerman said in a statement Friday. Battelle is the DOE contractor that operates PNNL.

PNNL employs about 6,400 workers, the majority of them based at its Richland campus. The Department of Energy research laboratory had a payroll of $706 million as of 2023.

Together PNNL and DOE’s Hanford nuclear site adjacent to Richland, which contracts work to multiple companies, employ about 19,000 people.

The Tri-City Development Council says that the two DOE projects account for 12% to 13% of the jobs in Benton and Franklin counties but about 25% of the income.

In a worst case scenario, PNNL could lose 1,100 employees due to federal budget cuts proposed by President Trump for the coming fiscal year, according to Friends of PNNL.

The new organization, which advocates for PNNL and the federal research done there, said that information was shared at a June staff meeting led by PNNL Director Steven Ashby. A group member was shown a transcript of the meeting, but the Tri-City Herald was not able to obtain it independently.

Layoffs take effect in September

The immediate PNNL staffing reduction is planned to eliminate about 40 vacant positions and about 90 staffed positions, focusing on “overhead-funded support positions,” Ashby told workers in an Aug. 6 memo.

The voluntary layoffs are focused on specific operational units, which have not been made public. However, the Trump administration’s focus on reducing spending includes clean energy and atmospheric science research.

According to the latest memos sent out by PNNL divisions, workers have seven days to apply for a voluntary layoff, or Wednesday Aug. 20 at the latest. At least some of the memos were sent Tuesday, Aug. 12, but it was not clear if all memos were sent that day.

If applications are approved, employees leaving the lab voluntarily will receive a week of pay for each year of continuous employment, up to 20 weeks total.

They will be notified if they were approved for a voluntary layoff Aug. 26-29, and their last day of work will be Sept. 12.

Starting in March some employees were furloughed due to federal budget uncertainty.

The Trump administration’s budget proposal to Congress for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 includes significant cuts to most DOE programs, including those for which PNNL does research.

Of particular concern are a proposed 74% cut to DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs and a 56% cut proposed to the DOE Biological and Environmental Research program.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee has approved a proposed fiscal ‘26 budget for DOE programs, including for research programs at national labs like the one in Richland, that would fund most programs below current levels.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to approve its proposed budget in September. The House and Senate bills will then have to be approved by the full House and Senate. After the two versions are reconciled, the final bill will be sent to President Trump for signing.

However, the process may not be completed until after Jan. 1, which would leave more uncertainty for the lab as the fiscal year starts.

Laboratory officials and researchers are working to bring in additional research dollars that will help pay for staff into the new fiscal year, Ashby said.

PNNL also is eliminating some retiree benefits to save $4 million a year.

“Personnel and staffing decisions are determined by Battelle, which will ensure that all critical functions will remain fully staffed,” Zimmerman said. “PNNL remains committed to delivering on the missions of the Department of Energy and other sponsors.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 12:05 PM.