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A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
Final Farewell The final components of Newport News Shipbuilding’s 310-longton Goliath gantry crane left the shipyard by barge Oct. 31 and were transported to a recycling facility near Hopewell. Watch a time-lapse video on MyNNS or the NNS to Go app that shows the entire disassembly and removal process for the crane, which was built in 1969. Photo by Brian Jones
Reflections on Veterans Day The United States – and Newport News Shipbuilding – will pay tribute to those who have served in the nation’s armed forces on Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Veterans, who make up about 18% of NNS’ workforce, provide a unique set of skills and experiences. That includes Navy and Army veteran Bill Halverson (X51). While in the Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he served on John C. Calhoun (SSBN 630), which was built at NNS. “I know what’s it’s like to be out there with a Newport News-built submarine around you,” he said. “I can empathize with anyone who has to get on a submarine and risk their life on it, so I put a lot of passion into my work with the Virginia-Class Submarine Program.” Seventeen years after he left the Navy, Halverson joined the Army Reserve. He served for 18 years, while also working at NNS and is grateful for the company’s support of military service. He said Veterans Day – like Memorial Day – amplifies the respect he feels for all veterans.
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Celebrating Master Shipbuilders Newport News Shipbuilding is not hosting an in-person event this year for Master Shipbuilders, employees with 40 or more years of service. However, the company is still celebrating the newest group of Master Shipbuilders – the Class of 1980 – this week. A video commemorating these employees will be released at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, on Huntington Ingalls Industries and Jennifer Boykin Facebook pages.
Navy Official Thanks Shipbuilders Last week, Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin shared a letter with shipbuilders from Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Geurts. In the letter, Geurts shared his gratitude for America’s shipbuilders and the national significance of their work. He also reminded shipbuilders to stay vigilant in the fight against COVID-19 as cases continue to rise. “The Department of the Navy is only as strong as the women and men operating in our shipyards around the country and the world to keep our forces equipped and ready,” Geurts wrote. “Thank you to the entire team and all those that support the construction, repair and supply efforts to ensure warfighting readiness for our Navy and Marine Corps.” Read Geurts’ full letter on the NNS’ website. (nns.huntingtoningalls.com/411).
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Reflections on Veterans Day CONTINUED FROM PG 1
“I always feel a sense of debt and respect for all the things people have done before me and for their willingness to put their lives in jeopardy to support and protect the United States,” he said. Eluy Raymond (K46) served in the Navy for four years. He said it brings into focus the importance of what shipbuilders do every day. “When you go out to sea, it’s very important that these machines are working properly and to their full capacity,” he said. “This is a vessel you’re living on and it’s used to protect the country.” Rob Joubert (E91), an electrical engineer at the Kesselring site, served in the Marine Corps for five years. “The Marines essentially made me grow up. They taught me discipline, professionalism and attention to detail,” he said. “Being deployed to countries like Iraq, Djibouti, Kosovo, Albania and seeing how people over there live has taught me an appreciation for all that we have to be grateful for in the U.S.” During his 20-year Navy career, Jon Conde (X31) gained overhaul experience. “I figured I would go ahead and apply for a job in the shipyard since I already had the skills and abilities to give back to the country. I served one way, now I’m going back to serve another
way to help my shipmates,” he said. “Coming in here was exciting because I got to see the other side of the house.” After serving in the Air Force for 20 years and then working as a civilian contractor for the military another 14, John Prejean (T54) said veterans’ sacrifices should be remembered. “Veterans have done their duty for their country – whether they served four, 20 or 30 years. They’ve left their families at times,” he said. “I also think it’s important that disabled veterans are recognized and get the help they need.” Lacey Marbra (O34) began her NNS career just a few months ago. She said the more than nine years she served in the Navy helped her develop as an individual and continue to influence how she manages roles outside of the military. “You can clock out on a normal job, but when you’re in the military, you’re on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If something happens, you’re instantly jumping to whatever it is you need to do,” she said. “The sacrifice and the strain it puts on families and on individuals – whether it’s physical or mental – is difficult. I think it’s very important to recognize veterans.”
Talent Acquisition Hosting Virtual Recruiting Event on Veterans Day Newport News Shipbuilding Talent Acquisition (K21) is hosting a virtual recruiting event for veterans and military service members on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Job seekers will have the opportunity to chat live with NNS recruiters from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. to learn more about current
NNS job openings, how to apply, benefits, relocation and more. Learn more at huntingtoningalls.com/hii-careers/nnsvets. In addition, Talent Acquisition partnered with Communications (O29) to feature a full-page ad in a special Veterans Day edition of USA Today.
Critical Machine Installed With the Help of Volunteer Translator Technical Solutions employee Janet Wang recently was recognized by HII Mechanical and TSD Maritime Operations for providing critical support as a translator. HII Mechanical officials ran into communication challenges when they found the vendor technicians – who were Taiwanese nationals – working to install a new machine at the facility spoke Mandarin and did not know much English. They put out a call for help via the Asian Shipbuilders Including All Nationalities (ASIAN) employee resource group, and Wang stepped up. She volunteered for several weeks to translate key safety requirements and other instructions necessary for successful installation and certification of the machinery, which will support Navy work. The vendors were escorted the entire time and isolated from all other work areas. “Janet demonstrated collaboration across the HII sectors
Keith Meadows presents Janet Wang with a gift in recognition of her work as a translator for HII Mechanical officials and vendor technicians, who spoke Mandarin.
and is truly a team player helping teammates succeed,” said David Long, a TSD director.
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Three Easy Ways to Support the Holiday Food Drive
Newport News Shipbuilding’s annual food drive is off to a great start and continues through the end of November. The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is serving even more families as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food requests grew by 88%, and the number of people in the community facing hunger daily could grow from 70,000 to 89,000 – including 28,000 children. There are three easy ways to donate to the food drive: • Visit yougivegoods.com/nns-holidayfooddrive for tangible food donations that will be delivered directly to the Foodbank. The platform will gift back an additional 5% of the value of each purchase to the Foodbank. • One-time monetary donations can be made directly to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. • One-time or reoccurring monetary donations through NNS Payroll can be made through the Newport News Shipbuilding Gives website. To promote more participation in the virtual drive, departments, divisions and employee resource groups (ERGs) are encouraged to engage in fundraising competitions and fundraisers. Fundraising protocols are available on MyNNS, and all three giving sites allow donors to designate departments and ERGs for purposes of competitions. Email CorporateCitizenship@hii-nns.com for requests for reports, fundraising approvals and questions.
“Shipbuilder University” Engagement Expo Begins Wednesday Newport News Shipbuilding’s Engagement Office is hosting the last Enable our Workforce virtual expo of the year this month. The expo, themed “Shipbuilder University,” begins Nov. 11 and continues through Dec. 18. The theme was chosen based on feedback from attendees of the first virtual expo, “Back to the Future.” Shipbuilders suggested a focus on personal development opportunities and the shipyard overall. The virtual event will allow shipbuilders to explore NNS’ footprint and see how each division impacts the overall business, in addition to experiencing a real-life university feel. Attendees also will be able to provide feedback by participating in a survey at the end of the expo. Those who participate by Nov. 25 will have a chance to win prizes. All shipbuilders are invited to attend. For more information visit the Engagement website on MyNNS.
Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Cases reported Nov. 2-8: 27 Total cases at NNS: 931 Total number of NNS employees medically cleared to return to work: 675 See case details at nns.huntingtoningalls.com/411.
John Harwood was honored for coming to the aid of a fellow shipbuilder. Photo by Aaron Pritchett
Shipbuilder Honored for LifeSaving Actions John Harwood (X31) was recently recognized for providing life-saving first aid to a fellow shipbuilder. In early October, Harwood came across an X36 shipbuilder who was unresponsive and lying on a shop floor. He quickly took action and found two other employees to help check for possible injuries, breathing or a pulse. After evaluating the extent of the emergency, Harwood called for emergency services and administered CPR until Newport News Shipbuilding emergency medical technicians arrived. Jason Ward, vice president of Virginia-Class Submarine Construction, and Xavier Beale, vice president of Trades, met with Harwood to thank him for his actions.
REMINDER: Time Certifications Time certifications are generated when someone other than the employee – a foreman or supervisor, for example – enters or changes the employee’s time. When this occurs, the employee must quickly certify whether or not the modifications are accurate. Employees review and address their time certifications by choosing “agree” or “disagree.” Employees are required to discuss rejected time certifications with Labor Compliance (O73) to resolve the time certification. For questions related to the time certification process, employees should contact their foreman/supervisor, or Labor Compliance (O73) at 534-4147 or visit the O73 website on MyNNS.
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DATEBOOK NOVEMBER 11
Are you less than 10 years away from retirement and feeling nervous about whether or not you’re ready? Attend SmartPath’s webinar at noon to learn how to prepare for retirement. Register at www.joinsmartpath.com/hii/classes. If you can’t participate in the live webinar, register anyway, and SmartPath will email you a recording of the session.
NOVEMBER 12 AND 17
Spear and Gear Toastmasters invites shipbuilders to a Virtual Speech-a-Thon meeting. Members will give prepared speeches in a continuous round throughout the meeting. Shipbuilders interested in hearing how to develop speeches and learn more about Toastmasters are welcome to join. Learn more by emailing spearandgeartoastmastersclub@gmail.com
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The L.E.A.R.N. Program and the Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) will host an after-work presentation with Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m. via WebEx. The event is open to all employees by reservation only. Sign up on the L.E.A.R.N. website. For questions, contact Tanika Vasquez (E08) at 688-7916, Chris Porro (E70) at 534-0332, or email LEARN@hii-nns.com. No charge is provided.
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VERG: Happy Birthday, Marines Nov. 10 marks the 245th birthday of the U. S. Marine Corps. The Marine Corps was formed at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. Since that day, Marines have served our country on the land and sea and air. Marines have a long tradition as “soldiers of the sea” and have consistently operated on and from Navy ships. As shipbuilders, we provide critical capabilities for our naval forces. The ships that we build transport and provide support for Marines across the globe. Let us take a moment today to reflect on the significance of what we do to provide the best warfighting ships in the world. We would like to recognize the service of Marine veterans, and the important role they continue to play as shipbuilders. Happy birthday, Marines from the Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG).
Reminder from Security Compliance Newport News Shipbuilding Security Compliance (O15) reminds shipbuilders that WebEx can be used for internal conferencing and document/application sharing by employees with computer access on the NNS Corp network.
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If a business need exists, and an employee does not currently have capabilities enabled for livestreaming, they should complete the “Control of Photography, Videography, and Live Video Streaming on NNS Property” LX training. After completing the training, the employee should submit a RequestIT to enable the camera on their company device and to receive the red icon on their NNS badge.
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Management approval is embedded within RequestIT. To use the live-streaming technology and the flexibility it offers, employees must follow all principles and protocols outlined in the T51 Conferencing Guidelines, to ensure that critical NNS information is protected. For more information, see the email encryption requirements and guidelines for working from home and livestreaming on MyNNS.
The 2020 Hampton Roads Heart Walk will be virtual. For more information and to sign up, visit the Heart Walk website on MyNNS. Those who sign up will receive a free mask. The event is open to shipbuilders and their families and friends. Newport News Shipbuilding Talent Acquisition is accepting applications for 2021 summer internship programs through Nov. 29. Direct interested students to buildyourcareer.com to job No. 3041 or to job No. 183 for the ABILITY internship program for students with documented disabilities.
NNS SAFETY REPORT
HRIS, TALENT ACQUISITION MOVING TO NETCENTER
The Newport News Shipbuilding Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS/O13) and Talent Acquisition (K21) departments are moving from the Employment Office (Bldg. 500) to the NetCenter, Suite 176, this month. Starting Monday, Nov. 9, the lobby hours of Bldg. 500 are changing to 6:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. NNS employees are encouraged to go online or use the MyHR app to complete address changes in lieu of coming to Bldg. 500 for the paper forms. The lobby will remain open for candidate onboarding appointments.
SEEKING SHIPBUILDERS
Visit www.buildyourcareer.com to search for the latest NNS job openings.
Compared to figures from October 2019 Year-to-Date Injuries
1,037 (down 1%) Year-to-Date Injuries with Days Away, Restricted or Transferred
724 (up 2%) Safety Improvements
2,042 (3% above goal)
Job Title
Req Number
Dept.
Location
Engineer 3 Engineer Electrical 3 Engineer Electrical 3 Engineer Electrical 3 – Power Systems Engineer Software 4 Engineer Structural 4 Industrial Security Analyst 2 Labor Relations Rep 3 Nuclear Quality Inspector 4 Quality Control Technician 3 Manager, Occupational Health & Safety 2
2962 816 1840 2433 1308 2091 788 1634 1359 2804 3609
O05 E70 E63 E83 E44 O41 O96 O21 O96 K46 O27
Newport News Newport News Newport News Newport News Newport News Newport News Ballston Spa, NY Newport News Ballston Spa, NY Newport News Newport News
Employees are encouraged to use MyHR or the “Current HII Employees Job Search” button at www.buildyourcareer.com to apply. The company continues to offer cash bonus awards for referrals to select positions, visit www.huntingtoningalls.com/hii-careers/refer-a-friend for more information.