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.
July 20 Traffic Alert for Groton Access to I-95
July 20 Traffic Alert: Commuters Urged to Use Clarence B. Sharp Highway (Route 349) to Access I-95 The City of Groton is urging drivers to use Clarence B. Sharp Highway to access Interstate 95 after a car accident Saturday on Mitchell Street darkened traffic lights at the intersection of Meridian & Mitchell streets. Four-way stop...Continue reading→
President Trump Gives Our Submarines a Shoutout at Pennsylvania Innovation and Defense Summit
During his remarks at the Pennsylvania Innovation and Defense Summit held on July 15 at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA, President Donald Trump introduced attendee Danny Deep, president of General Dynamics. In his quick words to Danny, President Trump recognized General Dynamics for building “the greatest submarines in the world.” Continue reading→
Rayha Report Ep. 23: Matt Olander Honored by UConn College of Engineering
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Rayha Report Ep. 22: Run to Home Base 2026
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Rayha Report Ep. 21: Backstage With Chris Stapleton
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Happy Fourth of July
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Electric Boat and SENEDIA Celebrate 10,000-Graduate Milestone
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Safety Update: Installation of Speed Tables on Eastern Point Road
In an effort to increase safety at Electric Boat’s Groton shipyard, two speed tables are being installed across Eastern Point Road this week. The tables, a few inches tall and marked with yellow stripes, are designed to slow vehicle traffic in an area frequented by pedestrians. The first speed table crosses Eastern Point Road just...Continue reading→
EB firefighters recognized for life-saving rescues
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The Barnacle: Parking Enforcement That Sticks
Meet the Barnacle, Electric Boat’s newest parking-enforcement tool that will begin deployment in the Groton shipyard starting Monday, June 15. As our enterprise continues to grow, we are dedicated to ensuring parking is safe, fair and accessible to all. The Barnacle is an immobilizing parking-enforcement device that attaches directly to a vehicle’s windshield using heavy-duty,...Continue reading→
