Virginia shipbuilder furloughs more than 400 workers

In this April 27, 2016 photo, USS Gerald R. Ford is stationed at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

By Michael O'Connor

June 2, 2025

Newport News Shipbuilding says the unpaid furloughs shouldn’t last longer than five months, but uncertainty lingers.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has furloughed 471 workers in its Newport News Shipbuilding division.

The move comes after a review of its salaried workforce and “business needs,” Todd Corillo, a spokesperson for HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, said in a statement. About 26,000 people work at the Newport News shipyard in total.

“This decision was not made lightly given its impact on affected team members,” Corillo noted. “We take this step, however, to increase accountability and efficiency, and to improve overall performance in meeting our current and future commitments to the U.S. Navy.”

The company doesn’t expect the unpaid furloughs to last longer than five months, but that could change. Local 13News Now first reported the furloughs on Friday.

Despite the cutbacks, HII doesn’t expect a significant impact to its operations from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The company buys most of its materials domestically and has made long-term purchase agreements for supplies that would otherwise be affected, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Michael O'Connor

Michael is an award-winning journalist who started covering Virginia news in 2013 with reporting stints at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginia Business, and Richmond BizSense. A graduate of William & Mary and Northern Virginia Community College, he also covered financial news for S&P Global Market Intelligence.

View all posts

CATEGORIES: MONEY AND JOBS

Support Our Cause

Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Virginians and our future.

Since day one, our goal here at Dogwood has always been to empower people across the commonwealth with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Virginia families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.