Annual Enrollment Begins Today 4 l 23 l 2018
Annual enrollment begins today, April 23, and runs through May 4. This is a once-ayear opportunity for employees to enroll in or review benefits. This year, employees can take advantage of a new interactive website at myalex.com/hii/2018 to help them make the right benefits choices for their families.
A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
Nonrepresented employees should be sure to update their tobacco-use status during annual enrollment. This year, all nonrepresented employees' tobacco-use statuses will be reset to "tobacco user." In order to receive the preferred "tobacco-free" insurance rate (saving $660 a year), employees must update their tobacco-use status under the medical section of the enrollment hub online, or call the Huntington Ingalls Benefits Center (HIBC). Employees who do not update their tobacco-use status will be defaulted to "tobacco user" and pay the standard medical insurance rates starting July 1. For questions about annual enrollment, contact the HIBC at 1-877-216-3222. Gleen Barnes (O53) participates in Newport News Shipbuilding's Earth Day cleanup. Photo by John Whalen
NNS Recognizes Earth Day Dozens of shipbuilders and their families supported Earth Day by helping clean up the grounds on the outskirts of Newport News Shipbuilding on April 18. Earth Day is an annual celebration in which events are held around the world to show appreciation for the environment. Volunteers spread mulch around trees at Christopher Newport Park and picked up trash along the nearby beach. Trash mainly included plastic, glass and paper products. Volunteers collected items in trash bags, later disposing them with the help of Newport News Shipbuilding’s Environmental Engineering team. “I really enjoy the event because it gives shipbuilders an opportunity to come together as a team and make the area we work in better,” said Nuclear Engineer Cailee Helmick (E86). Volunteers received an Earth Day T-shirt, a reusable bag and saplings to plant in their own yards.
CONTINUED ON PG 3
NNS Quality of Life Initiatives Moving Ahead As part of the NNSFORWARD Strategy to Enable Our Workforce, Newport News Shipbuilding is committed to making various quality of life improvements for its employees. See the enclosed insert for an update on progress during the first quarter of 2018 and a preview of what is to take place during the next quarter.
Changes to NNS' Internal Shuttle Service Begin April 30 Beginning Monday, April 30, Newport News Shipbuilding’s internal shuttle service will be reduced by two shuttles to accommodate various transportation needs across the shipyard, including a new service to transport interviewees to and from the Employment Office. The company will continue to support the internal shuttle services with eight buses during the peak traffic times. The internal shuttle route will remain the same, however, the cycle time for internal routes will take approximately 10 minutes longer. As a result, employees utilizing internal shuttle services should allow additional time to get to and from their destination, especially during peak travel times. “We have found that more employees are preferring to walk with the nicer weather, so we do not anticipate the reduction of internal shuttle services to cause major inconveniences,” said Facilities Manager... CONTINUED ON PG 5