June 13, 2022

6 l 13 l 2022

A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding

United Way Campaign Ends Friday The Newport News Shipbuilding 2022 United Way “Connected in Kindness” campaign continues through Friday, June 17. United Way of the Virginia Peninsula fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in the communities it serves – Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson and Williamsburg and Gloucester, James City, Mathews, New Kent and York counties.

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Crews constructing the CVN Assembly Hall have made considerable progress since this photo was taken in March.

Photo by Aaron Pritchett

CVN Assembly Hall Will Boost Production In 2019, Newport News Shipbuilding celebrated the award of a Navy contract to build two aircraft carriers. That same year, the company began planning to meet this new challenge.

The payoff of that planning effort is taking shape in the shipyard with construction of the CVN Assembly Hall. It will increase the production footprint for the CVN program and boost efficiency of aircraft carrier construction.

Scott Miller, O41 engineering manager, said the project was originally planned as a four-bay facility with a support building and office space. As the design progressed, it was expanded to six bays to provide capacity for Structural Fabrication and Assembly (SFA) unit construction.

Three bays are expected to come online in late 2022 with the remaining three to be operational by April 2023.

While increased production is important, the hall is also designed with shipbuilders in mind. The first floor of the support building includes a large area with seating for about 300 employees to gather, plus restrooms, a mother’s room, and a tool room or shop area.

“That’s something we were focused on from the beginning, making sure we’re not just building more production space, but we’re actually thinking about the shipbuilders out there on the deckplate,” Miller said.

And with one-quarter-height walls extending down from the roof line, it provides shade and mild rain protection. “We do lose production hours due to the heat during the summer, and rain,” Miller said. “By no means is this building going to solve all those problems, but it’s going to help.”

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Free HRT Passes Available for Shipbuilders Newport News Shipbuilding is providing Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) GoPass365 passes to employees on a first-come, first-served basis at no cost. They can be used on all HRT services, including Tide light rail, bus, ferry, VB Wave and the MAX from July 1 until June 30, 2023.

These nontransferable passes are for NNS employee use only.

Employees interested in a pass should complete the electronic waiver form on the Parking and Transportation website on MyNNS. When your pass is available for pickup, you will be notified.

The Parking and Transportation team will also be at Applebee’s (Bldg. 227) from 9 to 11 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on June 22 and June 29 to distribute passes. Hardcopy forms will be available for employees who plan to obtain a pass at these sessions.

Email ParkingSolutions@hii-nns.com for more information.

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The Gift of Life Five years ago, Lyle Helmick (E84) underwent surgery for a brain tumor. After a difficult recovery, he regained his health and wanted to pay it forward.

“My life was extended because of that surgery,” he said. “So I really wanted to do that for someone else if I could.”

A longtime blood donor, Helmick – who has worked at Newport News Shipbuilding for 34 years – had considered the possibility of donating one of his kidneys to extend someone else’s life. But an article he read a couple of years ago in Currents about fellow shipbuilders brought it to the forefront. Kidney disease had left Louis Thomas in need of a transplant. Scott Cash, his friend and supervisor at the time, stepped forward and donated a kidney.

Their story inspired Helmick to learn more. The need is staggering. According to Donate Life America, more than 90,000 people in the United States are waiting for a life-saving kidney donation. Many spend several hours three days per week receiving life-sustaining dialysis treatments for years as they wait.

“The numbers are hard to fathom. The more I looked into it, the more I wanted to do it,” he said. About a year ago, Helmick reached out to the Sentara Transplant Center about a nondirected kidney donation. This means the kidney is donated as a gift with no expectations of return and no connections between the donor and transplant recipient. The recipient is determined by medical compatibility and need.

After meeting with a surgeon, a nephrologist – or kidney doctor – and a donor advocate, the next step was extensive testing to ensure Helmick was healthy enough.

Lyle Helmick, a shipbuilder since 1988, recently donated a kidney to a stranger. Photo by Ashley Cowan

the all clear and had surgery April 26. Surgery and recovery went well, and Helmick returned to work in just under two weeks.

“My donation went to a local man. They don’t share his identity until a year after the surgery so I don’t know anything about him,” he said.

“But I do know he was doing well after surgery.”

If the recipient agrees, he and Helmick could meet in the future. As for his own health, Helmick doesn’t have any concerns. “I don’t expect it to have an effect on my lifestyle or the length of my life,” he said. “There are people who were born with one kidney who never knew and have done just fine.”

“It’s quite a long process. I’ve never had a physical like this in my life,” he said. Helmick said his wife and daughter – both shipbuilders at NNS – were supportive of his decision.

Helmick said he was happy to step up to help someone in need.

He called the positive response from co-workers and friends “overwhelming.” “If it makes one person start thinking about it like I did a few years ago, that’s a good thing,” he said. “I really hope it makes people aware of the need.”

There was a minor setback in January when Helmick contracted COVID-19. That led to additional testing, but he eventually got

Helmick encouraged shipbuilders who have questions about the transplant process to contact him via email.

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United Way connects businesses, local nonprofits and social service agencies to address the community’s most pressing needs. Impactful programs and services necessary to lift those in need out of poverty make the community a better place to live, work and play.

Dozens of local organizations that impact the health, education and financial stability of residents across the area benefit from United Way contributions. Giving online through the Newport News Shipbuilding Gives application (nns.yourcause.com) is easy and provides greater transparency and access to donors’ contributions than ever before.

Supporting United Way helps shipbuilders, friends, neighbors and family members in need. Email unitedway@hii-nns.com to schedule a speaker from a United Waysupported nonprofit organization for meetings or events during the campaign. Email corporatecitizenship@hii-nns.com for more information.

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NNS will have the capability to expand the Assembly Hall in the future. It could be extended to the west, and be fully enclosed to provide more protection from the weather. “It is structurally designed to be able to do that,” Miller said.

The project is already attracting attention. “We see a lot of folks walking by, and they’ll stop and check it out,” he said. “Being right here in the middle of the yard, it’s got a lot of visibility from every person walking by.”

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AROUND THE YARD REMINDER: Update Your Tobacco-Use Status by June 30

Prepare for Floor Check Audits

Did you remember to set your tobacco-use status as “tobacco-free” during annual enrollment this year? Updating your tobacco-use status is an annual requirement to continue receiving the $660 annual medical discount for the 2022-2023 plan year. If you are tobacco-free but don’t change your status by June 30, you will be charged the standard medical rate starting July 1.

Labor Compliance (O73) conducts thousands of internal floor check audits throughout the year to assess how well Newport News Shipbuilding’s workforce understands the company’s time charging policies. Furthermore, these floor check audits provide the necessary time charging education to the workforce in order to prepare them for potential DCAA audit.

Employees can be audited by DCAA or O73 on the time charging policies at any time.

A tobacco user is anyone who has used cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, e-cigarettes, vape, clove cigarettes or any form of smokeless tobacco, including chewing tobacco, dip or snuff, in the last six months.

To update your status, log on to UPoint at www.hiibenefits.com. For more information, contact the HII Benefits Center at 1-877-216-3222.

NNS COVID-19 Case Reporting to Change

Join a United Way Affinity Group to Impact the Community

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Newport News Shipbuilding has adjusted its practices as needed to best respond to the virus’ evolving impacts. In an effort to continue providing timely, accurate information, we are changing the frequency and way in which we report positive COVID-19 case information at NNS.

Sign up to learn about the United Way Women United and Emerging Leaders Society affinity groups by registering for the UW Affinity Groups Lunch & Learn, which will be held Wednesday, June 15, from noon until 12:30 p.m.

Recent changes to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) quarantine requirements, increasing use of at-home tests and operational changes to QuadMed’s testing site and the COVID Hotline have challenged our ability to provide up-to-date, relevant COVID-19 case information at NNS. As a result, beginning June 20, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases reported for NNS employees will be communicated on a bi-weekly basis in Currents and online. This is a change from the weekly “active” case information we have been reporting and will better capture all cases reported during the twoweek period. For additional information about the ongoing COVID-19 risks in our community and to stay up to date on CDC recommendations, visit the CDC COVID data tracker.

Women United fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in the community. Its mission is to mobilize the power of women to advance a common good agenda on the Peninsula.

Consistent with the United Way strategic goal of creating pathways out of poverty, Women United focuses efforts around serving women and children.

The Emerging Leaders Society is a group of passionate, community-focused professionals in their twenties and thirties who want to connect with like-minded peers, serve their community, and develop as leaders for change. Emerging Leaders achieve these goals through participation in various community volunteer opportunities, addressing and discussing the community’s challenges with today’s top leaders, contributing financially to nonprofits and networking with like-minded young leaders to create change on the Peninsula.

For more information about time charging policies or DCAA/O73 floor check audits, contact Labor Compliance (O73) at 534-4147.

Watch Shipbuilders Replace CVN 74 Sponson Shipbuilders from multiple trades worked together to replace the portside sponson on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as part of the ship’s refueling and complex overhaul.

The sponson unit is a large structure used for various purposes including mounting weaponry. Watch a time-lapse video on MyNNS or on the NNS to Go app.

Free Opportunities to Earn a High School Diploma It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 65, having a GED or high school diploma increases opportunities for higher lifetime earnings, new work opportunities, furthering your education and more.

Prepare for the GED four-subject online test with classes available at multiple locations or choose the self-paced National External Diploma Program, which offers flexibility to earn a high school diploma online even if you’re employed full time. Help spread awareness of these free opportunities for Newport News Shipbuilding employees.

Contact Ashley Riedell via email for more information.

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Active cases: 21

See case details at nns.huntingtoningalls.com/411.

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DATEBOOK JUNE 14

The Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) and the Department of Veterans Affairs will host a Suicide Awareness discussion from 4:30 until 5:30 p.m. Megan Flaherty, suicide prevention coordinator for the Hampton VA Medical Center, will provide information. This is a WebEx event and open to all NNS employees. No charge will be provided. Register on MyNNS. For more information, email VERG@hii-nns.com.

JUNE 15

FitNNS and SHIPs Network will host a night at the Peninsula Pilots baseball game at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium. Contact Kat Henry (X74) via email or at 757-586-7956 to register.

JUNE 15

Join the Engineering and Design Change Agent Team from noon until 12:30 p.m. for a virtual learning session titled “Driving Engagement: Understanding Individual Needs.”

The four drivers of employee engagement are basic needs, individual needs, teamwork and growth, but what do those actually mean? Join the team as they take a closer look at the meaning behind each driver and talk about ways to incorporate behaviors that leverage those drivers to build and sustain a more engaged workforce. Register on MyNNS.

JUNE 17

The African American Shipbuilders Association (AASA) and Mission Technologies invite shipbuilders to an educational lunch and learn from noon until 12:30 p.m. to discuss the history and origins of Juneteenth. This WebEx event is open to all HII employees. No charge will be provided. Register on MyNNS to receive a meeting invite.

To join by phone dial 1-415-527-5035 and enter 2763 951 8724. For more information, contact William Bond via email.

JUNE 19

The African American Shipbuilders Association (AASA) is volunteering at a Juneteenth Festival hosted by Celebrate Healthcare at Darling Stadium (4111 Victoria Blvd., Hampton). This is a free event and open to the public. No charge will be provided. For more information, contact William Bond via email.

JUNE 22

The African American Shipbuilders Association (AASA) and the American Red Cross will host a Sickle Cell Anemia Blood Drive from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Bldg. 520 (James River Room). Please note, all are welcome to donate blood. Donors can charge 1.5 hours to job order 0874-X. To register, visit www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/ find-drive and enter sponsor code NNSBASA. For more information, contact William Bond via email.

JUNE 22

Join the Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) for a Familia Dinner from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. at Juan’s Mexican Café and Cantina at Peninsula Town Center in Hampton. This event is open to all employees and friends. Sign up on MyNNS by June 15. All food and beverage purchases are at your own expense. For more information, contact Andrew Hinojosa via email.

JUNE 25

Hampton Roads Pride is hosting Pridefest at Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk from 12 until 8 p.m. Volunteers are needed from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. to run the NNS booth.

Sign up to volunteer on MyNNS or Contact J. Ariel Matthews via email.

JUNE 30

The Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) is reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey for its monthly book club series. Sign up on MyNNS to participate in the book club discussion from 5 until 6 p.m. Contact Samuel Byrne via email for more information.

SEEKING SHIPBUILDERS Job Title Req Number Dept.

Admin Assistant to VP 22544 N359 (Washington, D.C.) Aerospace Engineer 4 19274 E46 CVN 80 Industrial Engineer 19926 X51 Fitters 22406, 22424, X11 22426, 22425 Jr. 3D Animations Designer 12693 O36 Lead Test Engineer 19286 E84 Manager Administration 1 22255 E82 NDT Test Examiner 3 18923 E37 Sr. Undersea Systems Engineer 21648 E35 Welders 22525, 22524, X18 22484, 22464

Visit www.buildyourcareer.com to search for the latest NNS job openings.

Employee Referral Cash Bonus Not Eligible

Remote Work Considered No

Eligible Not Eligible Eligible

Yes No No

Not Eligible Not Elgible Not Eligible Not Eligible Not Eligible Eligible

Yes No No No Yes No

All positions are located in Newport News unless otherwise noted.

Employees are encouraged to use MyHR or the "Current HII Employees Job Search" button at www.buildyourcareer.com to apply. Visit www.huntingtoningalls.com/careers/refer-a-friend to learn more about the cash bonus awards for referrals to select positions.

Production Engineering and Operations Launches Podcast The Production Engineering and Operations (PEO) Communications team is introducing its first podcast episode in a new series aimed at generating awareness around PEO. The series features interviews with various leaders from across the value stream as they speak about what the transition to PEO means for Newport News Shipbuilding employees.

The inaugural episode features Jason Sutton, vice president of Business Transformation & Technology (BT&T), and Tim Lauth, manager of Process Standardization & Integration. As primary sponsor for the PEO initiative, Sutton shares his insights about how it will impact shipbuilders and the business.

“When I think about our FORWARD Strategy of Transforming Business Operations and how it ties into PEO, I think about how it is similar to the interstate system that President Eisenhower put in place in the ’50s,” Sutton said. “Before that, we had small roads of interconnectedness across the United States of America, but by putting in larger infrastructure with deeper connections, we revolutionized the way product was moved around the country.

We want the deckplate to be fully digital and integrated like Eisenhower’s interstate system.”

In addition, Lauth leverages his technical knowledge of the project to help clarify some of the important what and why questions often heard regarding change initiatives. Shipbuilders are invited to listen to “What is PEO & Why Do We Need it Now” on MyNNS and share it with other employees who may be interested. No charge is provided to listen to the podcast.

For more information or to offer suggestions for future podcast episodes, email PEOCommunications@hii-nns.com.