Concord, N.H. – Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a member of the House Armed Services Committee who served for more than a decade in the United States Navy Reserve, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), co-chair of the Public Shipyard Caucus, and Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-VA) introduced the Pay Our Public Shipyard Workers Act. This bipartisan legislation will ensure the workforce of our nation’s public shipyards is paid during government shutdowns. Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (D-HI) and Congresswoman Emily Randall (D-WA), members who represent public shipyard workers, are cosponsors of this legislation.
Read the full bill text here.
“The women and men of America’s public shipyards are mission-critical for our national security. These hardworking patriots have some of the toughest and most important jobs. They should never go a day without a paycheck they have earned,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “That’s why we are working to make our bipartisan bill that ensures our public shipyard workforce gets paid the law of the land.”
“The men and women of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and all our public shipyards are critical to our national defense. They work every day with skill and patriotism to support our military, and their ability to make ends meet shouldn’t hang in the balance due to political dysfunction in Washington,” said Congressman Pappas. “We’re introducing this bipartisan legislation to ensure shipyard workers are always paid on time for their work during a government shutdown.”
“As the Representative for Virginia’s Second District, I know firsthand how essential our public shipyard workers are to the strength of our Navy and the security of our nation. These men and women are the backbone of our defense industrial base – keeping our ships repaired, modernized, and ready to answer the call at a moment’s notice. They deserve the certainty of a paycheck for the critical work they perform, regardless of political gridlock in Washington. I’m proud to join Rep. Goodlander in this bipartisan effort to ensure our shipyard workers and their families are supported during a government shutdown,” said Congresswoman Kiggans.
“The men and women employed at military sites like Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in my home state of Hawaiʻi are hardworking Americans who show up to work every day, serving as the backbone of our national defense and maritime infrastructure. During a government shutdown, they shouldn’t be faced with additional stress, worries, and anxiety over whether they can put food on the table and pay their bills,” said Rep. Tokuda, member of the House Armed Services Committee. “That’s why I’m proud to cosponsor the Pay Our Public Shipyard Workers Act to ensure these essential workers receive the pay they need and deserve. It’s about fairness, stability, and respect that we owe to the people who help keep our country safe.
“My dad –– like so many of my neighbors and constituents –– spent his career at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard-Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS-IMF), so I grew up seeing firsthand the dedication our shipyard workers bring to work every single day to support our Navy and defend our country,” said Rep. Randall. “They shouldn’t have to worry about whether they can pay their bills because of political dysfunction in DC. This legislation is about respecting the people who keep our nation secure — and it’s a commonsense solution that ensures shipyard workers and their families have the stability they’ve earned and deserve.”
“The introduction of the Pay Our Public Shipyard Workers Act by Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander and Congressman Chris Pappas is a critical step toward protecting the men and women of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and our nation’s other public shipyards. Every day, thousands of dedicated patriots keep lacing up their boots and coming to work to keep our submarine fleet mission-ready. That work does not stop during a shutdown, and neither should the paychecks that families depend on,” said Alana Schaeffer, President at Portsmouth Federal Employees Metal Trades Council. “For too long, shipyard workers have been forced to carry the burden of political stalemates in Washington – reporting for duty without pay, or being furloughed, both without access to their earned leave or the guarantee of a paycheck until a budget is passed and their back pay approved. This legislation acknowledges what we have always known: the work of our shipyard community is essential to both our local economy and our national security. I applaud Congresswoman Goodlander and Congressman Pappas for listening to the workforce, standing with us, and putting forward a commonsense solution that ensures stability for working families. I urge members of Congress from both parties to join them in supporting this vital legislation.”
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander is leading a slate of commonsense legislation to protect New Hampshire military families and federal workers during a shutdown. She is supporting legislation to ensure servicemembers, TSA agents, and air traffic controllers are paid during a government shutdown, and that Members of Congress are not. Goodlander has been an outspoken advocate for the women and men who work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and secured key wins for PNSY in the NDAA. She is a cosponsor of the Defense Shipyard Workforce Housing Act, legislation to address housing availability for the skilled workforce that powers America’s four public naval shipyards.
Congressman Pappas is a founding member and co-chair of the bipartisan Public Shipyard Caucus and representative for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He leads the bipartisan Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act, which would exempt the workforces of America’s four public shipyards, which are responsible for repairing and retrofitting the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers and submarines, from recent hiring freezes and mass layoffs.
Background:
There are four public shipyards in the United States – Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY), Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS&IMF), and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY&IMF) – that are critical to our warfighting ability and national security.
During a government shutdown, many of the civilian and military workforce at our shipyards are furloughed or asked to work without pay – including their base pay, basic housing allowance, or basic allowance for subsistence. These women and men are essential to our national security, and many already live paycheck to paycheck.
During this government shutdown, all projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are continuing as scheduled. 280 employees at the shipyard were furloughed, while the rest of the 6,400-person workforce is deemed essential and is being asked to work without pay.
This legislation would ensure that a lapse in government funding would not impact their ability to be paid or complete their essential mission.
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