Help could be on the way for Portsmouth shipyard workers during pandemic

File Photo / Jim Neuger The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Kittery, employs more than 7,500 civilians.

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Less than two weeks after the death of a civilian worker at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from complications associated with COVID-19, Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegation members are urging the reinstatement of a paid employee leave policy.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, owned by the Navy, employs more than 7,500 civilians and had a 2018 economic impact of more than $882 million, according to the Seacoast Shipyard Association impact report of February 2019.

In March, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Navy took a series of actions to protect shipyard workers. The measures included permitting administrative leave for workers who have family members with preexisting health conditions based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines, as well as for workers who were sick or symptomatic, in order to minimize the risk to other shipyard employees.

But a new policy that took effect Wednesday at the shipyard requires employees who are sick or symptomatic, or who live with at-risk family members with preexisting health conditions, to begin using accrued sick leave or annual leave.

In a two-page letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Acting Navy Secretary James McPherson, members of the delegations expressed their concern about the policy shift.

The letter is signed by U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, and Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd Distict. They were joined by Granite State peers U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H.1st District.

"While we appreciate the actions the Department of Defense and the Navy took at the outset of this pandemic to protect workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and other public shipyards, we want to express our strong concern about the recent decision to end paid administrative leave, particularly for individuals who are currently sick or symptomatic," they wrote.

To remedy the situation, they asked that the initial personnel guidance be reinstated to ensure the health of the public shipyard industrial base workforce as well as the rest of the defense workforce.

"At a minimum," the members of Congress said, "we believe the Departments should ensure that those who are currently on administrative leave because they are sick or symptomatic, be permitted to remain on administrative leave until their health improves. We do not believe this is the time to create impediments or disincentives for sick or high-risk workers to stay home if necessary, as may be the case if they do not have any sick leave or other forms of paid leave available to them."

Both the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Bath Iron Works, owned by Reston, Va.-based General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD), remain fully operational during the pandemic.

BIW President Dirk Lesko, in response to a letter from 70 state lawmakers pleading for more action to protect the health and safety of its 6,800 workers, responded that BIW expected to continue operations during the pandemic "in the safest manner possible," according to news reports last week.

As early as March 17, union leaders at Bath Iron Works were calling for closure of that facility and for workers to get full pay.

Tuesday's letter with regard to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard comes as Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday extended Maine's state of civil emergency for another 30 days through May 15, repeating her call on Maine people to do their part and stay apart.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 744 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maine and 20 deaths, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.