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