Union accuses Navy
of illegal layoffs
Pearl Harbor union officials alleged that the Navy is illegally trying to lay off nearly four dozen civilian workers.
Ben Toyama, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers' vice president, said his union filed an unfair labor practice complaint yesterday against Rear Adm. Barry McCullough, Navy Region commander.
The complaint says McCullough failed to inform the union before announcing the layoff, or reduction in force (RIF), planned for July and August. Such notification is required, according to the union.
The Navy says the layoff of 44 civilian workers is driven by budget constraints.
Toyama said the Navy sent a letter to the affected employees dated June 10.
"But we didn't get the word until a few days ago, when several members asked us about it," Toyama said yesterday.
Nadine Bayne, director of human resources for Pearl Harbor, said her office has not seen the union's complaint. However, she added that the union did not contact the Navy to try to resolve the problems before filing a complaint.
Bayne said the union's president was told a couple of weeks ago that the layoffs were planned, but at the time no one knew how many civilian workers would be affected.
The Navy said the 44 workers who will lose their jobs are among the 933 civilians employed by Navy Region Hawaii, Pearl Harbor Naval Station, the Lualualei Naval Magazine, and Patrol and Reconnaissance Force Pacific, the P-3C Orion subhunter squadrons at Kaneohe.
About 160 of the workers in those units are unionized, represented by either the Teamsters or the IFPTE. The Navy said 13 of the 44 people being laid off work for the Navy's housing agency and are represented by IFPTE.
Agnes Tauyan, Navy spokeswoman, said civilians with the P-3C squadron will lose their jobs only if they are "bumped" by workers in other units who have more seniority and want to move another position. The Navy plans to move the headquarters of the P-3C squadron to Japan this fall.
Toyama said the unions do not agree that there is a need to lay off employees.
"The work that employees do has not gone away," he said.
Toyama said people such as Pearl Harbor base policemen and those who oversee contract work at the Navy's Public Works Center are badly understaffed.
"Our employees, like the base police officers, are required to work overtime every week, so why is there a need for layoffs?" Toyama said.
He said the Navy is sending out confusing signals by talking with state government officials about the possibility of using Kalaeloa to base the 70 or so combat jets and crews that support an aircraft carrier, while announcing layoffs at the same time.
In January, the Navy targeted 27 civilian workers at Navy Region Hawaii's labor force of more than 400 as "excess."
However, Tauyan said none of those workers were laid off because some took early retirement and others found government jobs elsewhere.