The Hanford site contractor that will operate the facility set to treat tens of millions of toxic waste stored in underground tanks has plans to lay off 733 workers on Oct. 16 if Congress has not reached a deal to fund the federal government. 

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business acquired the Oct. 8 notice from Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure, known as H2C, to Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council (HAMTC) on Oct. 8 announcing the nonpermanent layoffs. 

“Due to the lapse in government appropriations, Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure (H2C) has been directed by (the U.S. Department of Energy) to reduce operations to a ‘minimum safe’ staffing level, effective Oct. 20, 2025,” according to the notice from Mike O’Conner, H2C’s labor relations manager. 

The notice indicates that if funding is restored prior to the beginning date of the layoff, H2C will seek to withdraw it. A request for comment from Jeffrey McDaniel, HAMTC president, was not immediately returned 

The three most impacted classes of H2C workers in the layoff will be nuclear chemical operators (214 workers), radiological control technicians (207 workers) and industrial hygiene technicians (131 workers). 

Fifteen other worker groups would also see reductions, including truck drivers, carpenters, pipefitters and electricians. 

The Waste Treatment Plant, a collection of facilities and infrastructure commonly known as the vitrification or vit plant, is set to begin processing wasted stored in Hanford’s underground tanks by Oct. 15 as part of the final round of preparations known as hot commissioning. H2C is set to run the facility once it is operational. 

It was not immediately known if the job reductions would delay the start of hot commissioning, which was set by a court order following a settlement over the Hanford site cleanup between the Washington Department of Ecology, Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Hanford officials completed the first transfer of radioactive and hazardous waste from tank farms to the Low-Activity Waste Facility on Oct. 8. The state Department of Ecology called it “a historic moment for everyone who has worked to make this a reality. We are now on the brink of achieving hot commissioning at the plant – a legal milestone indicating the facility is fully operational and work has begun to treat tens of millions of gallons of nuclear waste.” 

The national Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, the parent organization of HAMTC, has posted resources designed to help union members understand and weather the shutdown, including suggested language to use when you call your congressperson: “The labor movement’s message to the administration and their allies in Congress is clear: Get to work. Fund the government. Fix the health care crisis. And put working people first.”