USDA-ARS Fires California Based Smoke Exposure Researchers
and Other Scientists Amidst Drastic Government Cutbacks Slashing 200,000 Federal Workers
by Pam Strayer for WineBusiness.com
Members of the private-public wine grape industry group West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force (WCSETF) woke Friday morning to disturbing news about two of their valued researchers–the scientists working on cutting edge projects had been fired.
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“This has been a huge hit for us!” said Natalie Collins, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. “Firing is happening across all spheres. For ARS, many scientists ‘probationary period’ was three years, and probationary employees do not have the same protections as tenured employees.”
Alisa Jacobson, co-chair of the WCSETF subcommittee on research, echoed Collins’ dismay.
“The WC smoke exposure task force worked really closely with some of the scientists that were laid off. These were some of the smartest and brightest people out there working diligently to help support agriculture and the wine industry. It’s a major setback to the work we’ve been doing.”