Bipartisan group of senators wants more protection for public shipyard workers

A bipartisan group of senators formally introduced a new bill today that would protect the workforce at America’s four public shipyards from hiring freezes and mass layoffs -- a move that follows workforce reductions at-large across the Defense Department and other sectors.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Angus King (I-ME) are behind the “Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act,” brought forth before the Senate commenced its August recess last week and formally announced today.

“Our commitment to our national security relies on continued, sustainable investments in our shipyard workforce -- not a reckless hiring freeze,” King said in a news release. “Portsmouth Naval Shipyard plays a critical role in keeping our country safe, but there has been a lack of follow-through on the unprovoked employment pauses and mass layoffs there, so we are elevating this issue to legislation in order to maintain our nation’s safety and security, as well as the livelihoods of the men and women who power the shipyard.”

Advocating for the shipyard workforce is not new for these senators, and Shaheen and Collins directly called on the Navy and Office of Personnel Management to exempt public shipyards from cuts in a February letter, after the Pentagon announced plans to cut its civilian workforce by between 5% and 8%. In a hearing that same month, Shaheen said Portsmouth Naval Shipyard -- located in Kittery, ME -- must increase its workforce by 550 personnel annually to keep up with submarine repair work.

In March, a defense official confirmed to Inside Defense that federal civilian employees working in shipyard maintenance facilities and depots are exempt from the Trump administration’s federal layoffs -- layoffs that had already begun for other areas of the Navy’s civilian workforce.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations James Kilby also told lawmakers in March that public shipyard workers and civilian mariners at Military Sealift Command were exempt from the service-wide hiring freeze.

“We are trying to shape this in a manner that allows us to continue the most important work as we work through guidance from the administration,” Kilby told Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) during a hearing on Defense Department readiness.

Despite these various assurances, lawmakers stated today they want further confirmation these workers will be protected.

“Our shipyard workforce represents an essential component of our national defense and preparedness -- they should have never been subjected to this administration’s ill-considered hiring freezes,” Shaheen stated. “The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workforce is supposed to be exempt from the hiring freeze, but there continues to be issues with implementation. Our bipartisan bill enshrines that exemption in federal law and ensures that no public shipyard is subjected to such chaos and uncertainty in the future, allowing them to focus instead on the vital role they play in our national security.”