BREMERTON — A hiring freeze on civilian defense workers at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is being eased.
The Kitsap Sun reported that the shipyard’s commander, Capt. Steve Williamson, announced Friday that he’s been authorized to immediately hire 256 new workers at the shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility to replace those who have quit or retired since the hiring freeze took effect in January.
The shipyard was about to hire 600 employees when the freeze took effect.
Though naval shipyards were spared from furloughs that soon will take effect across the Department of Defense, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is short of mechanics. Williamson last week called for mechanics who have moved into management to volunteer to return to the waterfront, and for others to perform tasks that don’t require expertise.
The primary goals are to complete maintenance projects on aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and submarines USS Kentucky, USS Jimmy Carter and USS Connecticut.
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Information from: Kitsap Sun, http://www.kitsapsun.com/
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