11 l 15 l 2021
A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
Photo by Ashley Cowan
NNS Christens New Jersey
Vaccine Deadline Extended
Newport News Shipbuilding christened Virginia-class submarine New Jersey (SSN 796) Saturday, Nov. 13. “The christening is a Navy and shipbuilder tradition that celebrates the hard work and dedication of the women and men who are building this magnificent submarine, readying her for the next phase of construction, which includes launch, testing, sea trials and delivery to the Navy,” said NNS President Jennifer Boykin. “We commemorate these American builders during a challenging time in our nation’s history.” Dr. Susan DiMarco, who is a New Jersey resident, retired dentist and wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, serves as the ship’s sponsor and performed the traditional honor of breaking a bottle of American sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow during the ceremony. “As citizens today, we are more divided and disconnected from one another than at any time in our last 50 years, but the efforts that went into building New Jersey say otherwise,” DiMarco said. “In order to complete this great ship there must have been... CONTINUED ON PG 2
The federal government recently extended the vaccination mandate deadline for federal contractors such as Newport News Shipbuilding from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4. As a result, all policies and processes NNS established to help shipbuilders meet the original mandate deadline are being assessed based on new guidance. NNS is working toward a Jan. 4 deadline for the second shot. The NNS Vaccination Site will remain open. A series of cash raffles for employees who are fully vaccinated has resulted in two more winners. Larry Sinclair (O46) and Eric Wurster (E84) each won $2,500 in a drawing held Nov. 12. The final weekly drawing will be held Nov. 19 and will result in two more employees winning $2,500 each. In addition, NNS will hold one more raffle at the end of November for a reserved Zone A parking spot, good for one year.
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11 | 15 | 2021 Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former chief of naval operations, provided the keynote address. “Today is a day of gratitude, especially to the 4,000 men and women whose hard work put New Jersey together,” said Mullen, adding that the nation must prevail in an ideological battle against an adversary it has not seen before. “The future USS New Jersey will be a critical – some say the most critical – arrow in our quiver.”
Attendees watch as Ship’s Sponsor Dr. Susan DiMarco delivers remarks during the christening ceremony. Photo by Ashley Cowan
NNS Christens New Jersey (SSN 796)
New Jersey is the 23rd Virginia-class submarine and will be the 11th delivered by NNS. It is the first submarine designed with a modification for gender integration. Construction began in March 2016 and is 82% complete. The submarine is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in late 2022.
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...vital partnership and purpose. As a country, we are cooperative, generous and tenacious, and we can work together on exceptional ideas.” The ceremony took place outside the Modular Outfitting Facility (MOF) and was attended by more than 1,800 guests, including NNS employees who are building New Jersey, members of the submarine’s crew, Navy personnel and other government officials, including Jeh Johnson.
Visit nns.huntingtoningalls.com/SSN796 to watch a video of the ceremony and to learn more about New Jersey. Watch a clip of DiMarco breaking the bottle of sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow on MyNNS.
Shipbuilders Honored With STEP Ahead Awards Two Newport News Shipbuilding employees were recognized with STEP Ahead awards by The Manufacturing Institute for their achievements in science, technology, engineering and production. The STEP Ahead awards highlight the accomplishments of women at all levels of the manufacturing industry who exemplify leadership and demonstrate excellence in their careers. The program was created to encourage women to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue manufacturing careers. Construction supervisors Emily Frantz Stuff and Teresa Mullen were among 130 women honored during an awards reception in Washington, D.C. Frantz Stuff is responsible for project organization at the Kesselring Site, in West Milton, New York, and works closely with production as a project manager creating schedules, ensuring safety and supporting execution. She was recognized as an emerging leader. Mullen coordinates and supervises construction processes for aircraft carrier tanks,
Pictured from left are Emily Frantz Stuff and Teresa Mullen.
shielding and third decks. Her responsibilities include defining project scope, goals and deliverables in support of the build strategy and key event schedule. She was recognized as a STEP Ahead honoree.
NNS Reaches Tentative Agreement With USW Newport News Shipbuilding reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers Local 8888 for a new contract that will replace the one that expired at midnight on Nov. 14. NNS President Jennifer Boykin announced the agreement in a message to employees Sunday morning. “While the details of the agreement cannot be shared publicly until after a vote, our goal was to offer a contract that is fair to
our workforce, recognizes the key contributions of our USW employees, attracts new hires and retains our current workforce,” she wrote. The United Steelworkers will share the offer with eligible employees and conduct voting this week. Employees with questions about the offer or the voting process should contact their local union representatives.
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AROUND THE YARD ISCVN Engagement Team Hosts Carnival to Support Heart Walk
Introducing EAS The Enterprise Agility System – referred to as EAS or “ease” – is a new scaled agile model. This highly collaborative team of teams is part of Business Transformation & Technology’s (BT&T) response to the “No Fail Mission” and is designed to maximize the flow of value to the business. The EAS system of delivery leverages an investment tier and capability-based portfolios to arrange and sequence work based on business value and NNS strategic goals. Those portfolios include a group of leaders who are responsible for identifying business needs, approving funding and establishing constraints for all products and capabilities within the portfolio structure. “The scaled agile model is a recognized industry best practice, and the EAS system of delivery standardizes and matures the way we deliver value to NNS,” said Jason Sutton, vice president and chief information officer. “This is going to feel very different, at least initially, as work will be prioritized by the value it brings with consideration for the cost of delay.” As the EAS transformation continues, BT&T will share a series of articles to help familiarize NNS and business partners with this new agile framework. In addition, shipbuilders are invited to visit the businessfacing EAS Customer Portal for more information and helpful frequently asked questions.
In-Service Carrier Engagement Champions held a weeklong, lunchtime event in October to support this years’ Heart Walk for all employees, sailors and contractors who work in the area of Dry Docks 10 and 11 and Outfitting Berth 1. The event offered daily raffle prizes, a fun lollipop tree game to win prizes, a hole in one corn hole competition, a snack station filled with snacks donated by Aramark and a water wars game, which allowed employees to nominate leaders to be drenched by water balloons. “Our ISCVN Engagement Team knew that due to the pandemic, it had been way too long since a fun event was held. Therefore, the team collaborated on fun ideas that were safe and the concept of a carnival was
Shipbuilders participate in the lunchtime carnival, which was held in support of the Heart Walk.
born. The team, with support from their leadership, worked hard each day to put on the carnival and the reward was seeing everyone laughing and smiling and raising almost $3,000 for the American Heart Association,” said team co-lead Christy Higgins.
Shipbuilder Recognized by National Association Jennifer Batcha, a property administrator at Newport News Shipbuilding, recently earned the Consulting Fellow designation from the National Property Management Association (NPMA). The NPMA is a nonprofit membership association for professionals who are responsible for the effective and efficient management of equipment, materials and other moveable and durable assets for their organization. The Consulting Fellow recognition is the highest recognition bestowed on NPMA members. Batcha has worked in government property for 20 years at both NNS and HII-Fleet Sustainment (formerly AMSEC). Her leadership team congratulates her for her accomplishments.
Have You Volunteered This Year? Corporate Citizenship is preparing volunteer recognition information to be published in Huntington Ingalls Industries’ 2021 Report
to the Community. Volunteers who have logged hours into the YourCause platform will be highlighted in the report. To log volunteer hours, visit nns.YourCause.com and log in using your MyID, which can be found in Outlook and the bottom left hand corner of your paystub. Learn more about logging volunteer hours on MyNNS. For more information, email CorporateCitizenship@hii-nns.com.
Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Cases reported last week: 6
Total cases at NNS: 4,806
NNS employees medically cleared to return to work: 3,992
NNS employees vaccinated: 73%
See case details at nns.huntingtoningalls.com/411.
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11 | 15 | 2021
DATEBOOK NOVEMBER 16
Join Engineering & Design and Tawana Robinson (O44) from noon until 12:30 p.m. for a Virtual Learning Session on Future Leader Xperience (FLX). The FLX program prepares shipbuilders who are interested in pursuing a path to a first-line leadership position or other positions of increasing responsibility. Are you ready to start your leadership journey? Sign up on MyNNS to receive a calendar invite to attend. For questions and concerns, email E&D Connections.
NOVEMBER 28
Nov. 28 is the deadline to apply for a 2022 summer internship at Newport News Shipbuilding. Interested students should visit buildyourcareer.com to apply for the following positions:“ABILITY Intern” – Req No. 9439 (for students with documented disabilities), “BUSN MGMT Intern” – Req No. 8692 (for business majors), “ENGRG Intern” – Req No. 8425 (for engineering majors), “IT Intern” – Req No. 8691 (for IT majors) and “INTERN” – Req No. 9933 (for all other majors).
NOVEMBER 30
The African American Shipbuilders Association employee resource group is hosting a sickle cell anemia disease specific blood drive from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in Bldg. 520-6 (James River Room). To schedule an appointment, contact Natasha Eck or Sunny Lee via email.
NOVEMBER 30
PMP Master Prep will host a lunchtime presentation, “PMP Exam Prep Information Session - Step by Steps on How to Pass,” with Scott Payne from 12 to 12:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. The event is open to all employees by reservation only. Sign up on the PMSA website. For questions, contact Debra Brand, or email PMSA@hii-nns.com. No charge is provided.
HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE
Newport News Shipbuilding’s annual Holiday Food Drive runs through Nov. 30. Information about how shipbuilders can make donations is below. • Weatherproof containers are located inside the gates at turnstiles for food drop off. • Visit YouGiveGoods.com/nns-holidayfooddrive2021 to purchase items online. • Use an online platform for monetary donations.
NNS Hosting Two Virtual Fitter Hiring Events
DECEMBER 7
The L.E.A.R.N. Program and Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) will host an after-work presentation with HII President and CEO Mike Petters from 4 to 5 p.m. via WebEx. The event is open to all employees by reservation only. Sign up on the L.E.A.R.N. website. No charge is provided. For questions, contact Tanika Vasquez (E08) at 688-7916 or email LEARN@hii-nns.com.
DECEMBER 13
The Engagement and Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) offices invite shipbuilders to join their monthly ED&I Together Strong Life Unites Panel Discussion Series: Celebrating The Art of Becoming from 4:30 until 6 p.m. via Zoom. Panelists include Joshua Buchanan (X51), Melanie McGrath (O60), Fatina Brave-Ingalls, Tina Lawrence (E70) and Miranda Williams of the Technical Solutions division. This event is open to all NNS employees. Register on MyNNS. No charge will be provided. Email DiversityAndInclusion@hii-nns.com for more information.
JANUARY 14
Newport News Shipbuilding’s Engagement and Diversity & Inclusion offices will host the sixth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Jan. 14 with guest speaker Dwayne Blake, HII corporate vice president of Investor Relations. Three sessions will be offered in Bldg. 4930 to accommodate first (12 until 12:30 p.m.), second (8 until 8:30 p.m.) and third (5:30 until 6 a.m.) shifts. Refreshments will be provided for the third shift session, and lunch will be provided for the first and second shift sessions. A charge number will be provided for travel time and shuttle service will be available. Space is limited and will be on a first come first served basis. Register on MyNNS by Dec. 17. Events are open to all employees by reservation only, and space is limited. • Visit nns.YourCause.com to make a one-time credit card payment or a one-time or recurring payroll deduction. Most-needed items include oatmeal; hearty, meaty soups; canned fruit, vegetables and meat; peanut butter; boxed rice; 100% fruit juices; and pasta meals and sauces. For more information, email CorporateCitizenship@hii-nns.com.
SEEKING SHIPBUILDERS
Visit www.buildyourcareer.com to search for the latest NNS job openings.
Job Title
Req Number
Dept.
Data/Quality Analyst 2 Dosimetry Quality Analyst 4 Fitter (Trainee, Entry-level & Experienced) Maintenance/RPR Outside Machinist (Trainee, Entry-level & Experienced) Product Trainer 1 Refueler (Experienced) Rigger (Entry-level) Welder (Trainee, Entry-level & Experienced)
10204 11147 11550, 11884, 11564 10100 10095, 10093, 10094 12032 10096 10108 10109,10099,11024,11006
O06 Newport News E85 Newport News X11 Newport News X36 Newport News X43 Newport News O26, O67 Newport News X43 Newport News X36 Newport News X18 Newport News
Location
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.
Newport News Shipbuilding Talent Acquisition hosted a series of virtual hiring events this summer and fall to fill trades positions. Events were held to hire machinists (X43), blasters (X33), insulators (X33), marine painters (X33), fitters (X11), welders (X18), pipefitters (X42), riggers (X36) and sheet metal workers (X32). To date, more than 150 candidates have accepted offers and are in the hiring onboarding process. The last two virtual hiring events this year will be for fitters (X11) and will be held Nov. 22 and Dec. 6. NNS is currently offering $500 sign-on bonuses to fitter trainee and entry-level new hires and $1,000 sign-on bonuses to experienced fitter new hires. Job seekers who apply through Dec. 31 are eligible for the sign-on bonuses. The sign-on bonuses are for external new hires; current NNS employees are ineligible. In addition, NNS is also now offering $1,000 cash bonus awards to current NNS employees who refer trades candidates, including fitters, who are hired. For more information, please visit the REFER program resource page at huntingtoningalls. com/hii-careers/refer-a-friend. Employees are encouraged to share these opportunities. Visit buildyourcareer.com for more information about hiring events.
HOLA BOARD NOMINATIONS
The Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) is seeking nominations for nine board positions through Nov. 19. Learn more and apply on MyNNS.
NNS SAFETY REPORT
Compared to figures from October 2020 Year-to-Date Injuries
1,395 (up 34%) Year-to-Date Injuries with Days Away, Restricted or Transferred
1,010 (up 39%) Safety Task Team Inspection Closure Rate
97% (21% above goal)