The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery has been exempted from the civilian hiring freeze announced last month, following an updated directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The directive issued Friday states that the exemptions should sustain the workforce at facilities including shipyards, depots, and medical treatment facilities.
Bill Webber, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2024, said he is still waiting to hear from the navy about what this means for shipyard workers terminated last week.
In a statement, Republican Senator Susan Collins said she was grateful that the Department of Defense will exempt the shipyard from the hiring freeze, as any reduction to the workforce would increasing submarine maintenance timelines.
Maine Senator Angus King, an independent, and New Hampshire democratic Senator Jeanna Shaheen sent a letter today to Acting Secretary of the Navy Terrence Emmert expressing concerns about the potential loss of Department of Defense firefighters on probationary status at the Naval Shipyard.
