The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. maneuvered to have psychiatrists find “paranoid delusions” in a manager because he complained publicly about safety and other problems at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the Department of Labor has concluded. For years, Neil Aiken complained about problems at the plant near San Luis Obispo, Calif. In April 1998, he went to a shareholder meeting and distributed a paper detailing his criticisms. Soon after, the utility sent him to two psychiatrists who declared Aiken a threat to security, and the company fired him the next year. Four other operators and managers at the plant said they believed that Aiken was mentally sound and was fired because he embarrassed executives, and 40 of his coworkers petitioned for his reinstatement. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission denies that there is any evidence of retaliation against Aiken.
