October 28, 2021 – Podcast: K. Graney on Vaccine Mandate

You are currently viewing October 28, 2021 – Podcast: K. Graney on Vaccine Mandate

PODCAST 

Hi everyone, it’s Kevin.  Today is Wednesday, October 27th (date recorded).

As you well know, the federal government recently released COVID-19 Workplace Safety Guidance, which includes a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for all employees of covered federal contractors. For those of us here at EB, that mandate becomes effective when our direct customer—the Navy—provides us with contractual modifications that require us to implement it.

While I know the lack of clarity is frustrating for some, I also recognize that implementing the mandate before it is necessary could be disruptive to some of you and to our business. Therefore, we have chosen to stay the course and not implement a vaccine mandate at EB until we have further clarification from the government. We are working with the Navy to get that.

For those already vaccinated, I thank you for taking action to protect yourself and others. If you are not yet vaccinated, I urge you to do so. After you have been vaccinated, please send an email to proofofcovidvaccination@gdeb.com with your name and badge number in the subject line.  Please attach a valid proof of vaccination, like a scanned image of a vaccine card or medical record. Having this information on file will make implementing a mandate much smoother when the time comes.

Medical experts, including our own doctors, say that being vaccinated provides protection against potential infection with COVID-19 and lowers the likelihood of serious illness or hospitalization if you do get a breakthrough infection.  To date, more than 414 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States. According to the CDC, these vaccines are safe and effective, and meet the Food and Drug Administration’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support approval or authorization of a vaccine.

In the very early stages of the pandemic, we stood up a COVID task force, which was a cross-functional team including representatives from across the company.  This team is still working and has acquired sufficient stock of vaccines and has plans in place to ensure we can move out quickly when and if the mandate is invoked. These plans include making provisions for religious and medical exemptions. In a while, Andrew Bond from Human Resources will provide some additional details on those exemptions.

We will provide more information about when and how our rollout will be put in motion. I recognize there are timelines for the various vaccines, and depending on the vaccine you choose, we are at or nearing the date to receive your first shot. We will determine deadlines when we receive Navy direction.

I’ve received messages from many of you about your concerns about what the coming weeks will bring. Throughout the pandemic, my guiding principle, and that of the EB senior leadership team, has been consistent—keep everyone as safe as we reasonably can while staying focused on designing, building and maintaining the submarines our nation needs. To date, we have worked together to keep our workforce safe and achieve our mission, and our intention is to continue this principle-guided approach.

Thank you for your continued focus on our mission.   We’ll talk again soon.

Electric Boat Joins Regional Leaders for Military Appreciation Breakfast

Electric Boat employees joined military and community leaders for the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s annual Military Appreciation Breakfast on Sept. 30 at Ocean Beach Park’s Port ‘N’ Starboard. The event provided more than 120 complimentary seats to active-duty service members from the Navy, Coast Guard and Connecticut National Guard. General Dynamics Electric Boat...Continue reading→

803 Section 2B/5 Transported from Quonset Point to Groton

PCU Arizona’s (SSGN 803) Section 2B/5 was successfully delivered to Groton from Quonset Point. At 184 feet in length, this section – which includes the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) – is the largest Virginia-class shipment ever transported. Arizona, the first submarine to incorporate VPM, will be about 460 feet long upon final construction. Section 2B/5...Continue reading→

Remembering September 11

On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers of downtown Manhattan’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., were targeted in a series of coordinated attacks that would leave an everlasting imprint on our country’s psyche. As the events unfolded on that Tuesday morning, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, over 600 were injured...Continue reading→

Atlas Plaque Unveiled, Honoring Plank Owners at South Yard Ceremony

Employees who have worked on Atlas, EB’s new state-of-the-art floating dry dock, gathered in the South Yard on Wednesday, Aug. 26, to unveil a new bronze plaque recognizing the contributions of its plank owners. The event celebrated the teams who helped bring Atlas from Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana to its arrival in Groton earlier this year. Atlas will play...Continue reading→