Shipyard will be able to start hiring again
The Department of Defense last week exempted shipyard positions from President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze, though direction from the Pentagon has yet to reach Puget Sound Naval Shipyard officials.
Trump signed the executive order for a 90-day, across-the-board freeze Jan. 23, except for positions critical to the nation’s national security and public safety. It didn’t define those. The shipyard, uncertain whether it qualified, halted hiring.
On Thursday, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work outlined 16 categories of exemptions, including “positions in shipyards and depots in which positions incumbents perform direct management of inventory and direct maintenance of equipment.”
The shipyard was waiting Monday for further direction.
"We received the Defense Department's guidance regarding the hiring freeze,” spokesman J.C. Mathews said. “At this time we are awaiting instructions from Department of the Navy on how the DoD guidance is to be implemented."
The shipyard was allowed to complete the hiring of those near the end of the process. Prospects had to have been notified before Jan. 22 that they’d been hired and had a starting date before Feb. 22.
U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer introduced legislation last week to exempt shipyards from the freeze.
“I’m glad the administration listened to us and realized this would hurt our fleet so followed through with an exemption,” Kilmer said. “I'll continue to make sure workers and their families get support.”
Others civilian positions exempted are related to contingency missions, cyberspace, space operations, medical care, first responders, child care for the children of military personnel, nuclear reactor and nuclear weapon safety, and mortuary affairs.
By: Ed Friedrich
Source: Kitsap Sun