Some of you may recall that Debbie and I are both BP retirees, having taken an “enhanced retirement” package following the company’s acquisition of ARCO in 2000. We were both long-time ARCO employees and neither of us was interested in continuing employment with the new company.
This classification has little practical significance. We voluntarily discontinued our retiree health insurance provided by BP for reasons that aren’t important here, and we sold our BP stock almost three years ago. But we’re still carried in the company’s database as retired employees, thus explaining why we received the following email today:
From: DCSR US
Subject: BP retiree volunteers asked to help with Gulf of Mexico response
As you are aware, BP is doing everything possible to respond to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We have deployed large numbers of our staff to help with the response. As part of our planning process, we are reaching out to the BP retiree community living in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, in order to identify individuals who have an interest in volunteering to return to work for BP or a contractor company in one of our field response centers. We’re interested in hearing from you if you are not currently employed, and can be available for 14-day rotational shifts (up to 12-hours per shift).
If you are available to volunteer your time and expertise, please reply to this email and provide the following information (note: if you are already deployed or are in the incident resourcing database there is no need to respond to this email):
1) (Legal) First and Last Name:
2) Home City and Zip (No Street address necessary):
3) Home Phone:
4) Cell Phone:
5) E-mail Address:
6) Last title/position held before leaving BP:
7) Dates available from: (i.e. 5/20/2010)
8) Dates available to: (i.e. 8/31/2010)
9) Shift available: Day or Night?
10) In what capacity were you thinking of assisting/contributing?
11) Have you ever worked in an Incident Management Team (IMT) capacity? If Yes, what role did you perform?
12) Are you HAZMAT or HAZWOPER certified?
Due to the anticipated number of responses, we’ll be in touch if a role is identified for you.
Thank you for your support.
Regards,
BP Incident Response Resourcing Team
I’ve never heard of such a thing…but then, the industry has never dealt with such a catastrophic event. On the other hand, don’t expect much sympathy from former Amoco and ARCO employees when it comes to volunteering to bail out a company that consumed their employers and – in some cases – their careers.
Sure……..at two hudnred dollars an hour plus all expenses for mileage,meals and possible medical cost paid up front.
John, it appears that your definition of “volunteer” is a bit different than BP’s. 😉
Don’t be so rough on BP, Eric. Remember that ARCO common shareholders voted 95%+ in favor of selling the company to BP. Just a guess. But, I suspect the 4-ish per cent of common equity voting against the sale was for the most part employees.
Joe, my perspective is from the ARCO Permian situation, where we saw a promising JV with Chevron shot down, one of the most profitable offices in the company dismantled, and wholesale transfers to Houston while the Permian Basin assets were devalued. I can assure you that the vote from our region didn’t fall along the lines you describe. But, we were just provincial hicks, and perhaps we still are. On the other hand, a lot of very profitable companies throughout the Permian Basin are still grinning over getting the ARCO employees who refused to move with BP.
Someday, I’ll have to share some insights about the “merger” acquired from a small dinner at Keith Weiser’s home in Midland with Ken Thompson and ARCO Permian management just before Ken and the rest of the ARCO senior execs exited the company. I’m waiting for the statute of limitations to run out.
But I’m not bitter. 😉 [No, actually, I’m not. Just about every single thing about our lives is better now than pre-BP, so I have no complaints. This is just what bloggers do. And it’s probably why Facebook and Twitter are kicking our butts, but that’s another story.]
Eric, The Permian portion of the ARCO/Permian combo…was that the Permian Corporation of Houston, that had it’s main Operating hub out on the Garden City Hwy, that was purchased by Scurlock and then sold to Plains which is operating out of the old complex that was originally constructed in the early 70’s?
ARCO Permian was the name given to the Permian Basin exploration and production activities of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). It was headquartered in Midland for its much too short life. No relationship to the Permian Corporation.