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U.S. Senators Collins, Shaheen press Navy on review of shipyard jobs, potential pay cuts

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U.S. Senators Collins, Shaheen press Navy on review of shipyard jobs, potential pay cuts

KITTERY, Maine — The Navy’s top brass are facing questions from U.S. senators from Maine and New Hampshire about a review of civilian shipyard employee positions and concern some workers’ pay could be decreased. 

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, wrote to Navy leaders Monday inquiring about the review on behalf of the civilian workforce at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the nation’s three other public shipyards in Hawaii, Virginia and Washington. Collins and Shaheen’s joint letter was sent to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations.

The Navy’s Office of Civilian Human Resources is undertaking the audit because the U.S. Office of Personnel Management previously found two professional engineer positions at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Facility were misclassified. This prompted the question of whether additional civilian positions across the Navy are misclassified. 

Previous story: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard union has ‘great concerns’ about potential pay cuts

Collins and Shaheen’s letter states the two are “concerned that this review runs contrary to the Navy’s stated goals of eliminating submarine maintenance backlogs” and cited worry over China’s and Russia’s progress in naval technology and operations.

“Today’s security environment requires the United States to have a combat-credible undersea fleet to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries,” their letter states. “The overwhelming production capacity of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia’s steady production progress toward fifth-generation submarines, and growing cooperation between these authoritarian regimes will create additional demands on the U.S. submarine force. Meanwhile, the U.S. submarine industrial base continues to face maintenance shortfalls at our four public shipyards that affect the Navy’s ability to get boats back into the fleet on time. Reducing these maintenance backlogs is contingent on a robust, well-trained shipyard workforce.”

What is known about review of positions at shipyards

Beginning in the spring, the Navy’s Office of Civilian Human resources contacted union leaders at the country’s four public shipyards about the upcoming review. The process was expected to get under way in the first quarter of the Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2025, which began at the onset of October.

Positions expected to come under the microscope as part of the review process include professional and technical engineering and architecture civilian employees at the four public shipyards, the Office of Civilian Human Resources previously told Seacoastonline.

The Navy released a “Call-to-Action” memorandum about the review on May 1. 

“All four shipyards will conduct their review in concert, leveraging enterprise-wide standardized processes,” the Navy’s Office of Civilian Human Resources said to Seacoastonline in the summer. “Reviews throughout the Department of the Navy will vary based on approach and individual requirements. It is unclear how, if at all, shipyard employees will be impacted. Supervisors and managers will have a variety of mitigation strategies to minimize any adverse impacts.”

The process could last as long as three years. The audit has been criticized by leaders of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. 

Last year, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard had a regional economic impact exceeding $1.5 billion and employed 7,469 civilian workers, according to a report released by the Seacoast Shipyard Association last month.

Senators press for details on audits at shipyards

Collins and Shaheen are seeking answers from Del Toro and Franchetti on numerous aspects of the review process. They asked the Navy’s leaders to specify how many civilian workers will be subject to the review at each public shipyard, how the military branch is determining which positions will be reviewed, and actions the Navy could take in preparation for “the potential negative effects downgrading position descriptions may have on workforce recruiting and retention,” per their letter.

“U.S. public shipyards over the last decade have aggressively hired engineers, trades professionals, and other support staff to support increased Navy workload requirements. During this time, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY)’s workforce demands have grown by 50 percent, and the yard has added more than 2,000 new jobs,” Collins and Shaheen wrote. “With hundreds of employees leaving PNSY over the past six years, active recruiting efforts are paramount to increasing the workforce to meet these demands. Should (the Office of Civilian Human Resources’) review result in position description demotions and salary decreases for a significant population of technical professionals, it would cripple efforts to staff and support the needs of the Navy.”

During the multi-year review, the Navy’s Office of Civilian Human Resources expects no disruptions to American naval operations.

Collins and Shaheen called on Del Toro and Franchetti to support America’s public shipyard civilian employees and their wages and benefits.

“While we understand this review is required under federal regulation, we urge (the Department of the Navy’s) Office of Civilian Human Resources to engage with the Office of Personnel Management to minimize potential negative effects this review may have on the Navy’s civilian workforce and U.S. national security,” the letter adds.

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Collins is a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Defense, while Shaheen is a member of the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services.

The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 4 is the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s largest union. Representatives of the union at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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