MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 13, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) --
Note to Editors and News Directors:
Northrop Grumman and its employees greatly appreciate your continued assistance in sharing these updates on your regular broadcasts. The company anticipates issuing these daily notices, with slight changes, through this week. These announcements change slightly each day, so we ask that you carefully review the information before broadcasting it or printing it to ensure your broadcasts or print materials coincide with what we are sharing with you.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Sept. 13 Northrop Grumman Update for Gulf Coast Employees
SPECIAL PAYROLL INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYEES USING DIRECT DEPOSIT
-- Employees using direct deposit for their pay who have had
difficulty accessing their net payroll amount can call (877)
744-7642 and authorize the company to make the next payroll
payment either by check (if they are able to pick up a check at
the Ingalls or Gulfport Shipyards) or by Western Union cash
payment, in lieu of direct deposit. This authorization is not
retroactive; it only applies to future payrolls. All employee
requests to switch from direct deposit to check or Western Union
cash payment that are received by close of business, Tuesday,
Sept. 20 will be made effective on the Friday, Sept. 23 payday.
At the employee's request, this election -- to receive a check
or cash from Western Union in lieu of direct deposit -- will
remain in effect until the employee notifies the company to
return to direct deposit.
-- At Pascagoula, employees can authorize a check or Western Union
payment instead of direct deposit by completing a form. This
form will be made available at the completion of each shift.
Employees should submit their completed authorization forms to
their supervisors or leave completed forms at any security
checkpoint. Ship Systems Finance (Payroll) personnel will
collect these forms.
RETURN-TO-WORK NOTICE FOR NORTHROP GRUMMAN SHIP SYSTEMS EMPLOYEES
Note: This information applies only to employees of Northrop Grumman; contract workers should not report at this time.
-- Northrop Grumman Ship Systems returned to production and office
work at Pascagoula and New Orleans operations, and continued
clean-up and recovery efforts at its other facilities.
-- Employees who are able to return to work are requested to report
according to the schedule for their respective sites as shown
below. Please note that some work locations and shifts for
office employees have changed.
-- If employees are not able to report to work, they are instructed
to contact their supervisors or call the Northrop Grumman Ship
Systems employee check-in telephone number: (877) 744-7642.
During the re-opening period, employees who are not able to
report to work due to personal hardship may request additional
leave time.
PASCAGOULA OPERATIONS EMPLOYEES
-- Production crafts, supervision and all production "support"
personnel, including Quality, Production Control, Maintenance,
Transportation, Manufacturing Services, Warehousing, Steel Yard,
IPS and Storerooms:
-- All employees, all shifts, who are able to return to work
are requested to report to the shipyard at 6 a.m. to work
10-hour shifts. Employees should report to the work area
to which they were assigned prior to the storm.
Supervisors will provide further instructions when
employees report to work. Employees should bring badges
and personal protection equipment such as hard hats,
safety glasses, etc.
-- Engineering and ILS departments:
-- EDC employees are asked to report to the EDC (K-Mart
building.) at 6 a.m. Work shifts for these employees
started Monday and will continue through Wednesday, 12
hours each day. Employees will need to provide their own
meals.
-- FSO employees are asked to report to the EDC on Thursday,
Sept. 15, at 6 a.m. Work shifts for these employees will
be Thursday through Saturday, 12 hours each day. Employees
will need to provide their own meals.
-- Sunplex employees are asked to report to Sunplex in Ocean
Springs at 6 a.m. Work shift at Sunplex will be a 4-by-10
schedule Tuesday through Friday.
-- Engineering employees in Administration buildings 1, 2
and 3 are asked to report to their previously assigned
work areas at 6 a.m. Work shift will be a 4-by-10 schedule
Tuesday through Friday.
-- Expeditionary warfare programs management, surface combatant
programs management, Deepwater program management:
-- Report to previously assigned work areas. Work shift will
be a 4-by-10 schedule, which started Monday and will
continue through Thursday.
-- CG 47 Planning Yard employees are asked to report to the
CDI Building on Telephone Road in Moss Point at 7 a.m.
until further notice.
-- Business Management (finance, contracts, estimating and EVMS):
-- West Bank employees who have not previously reported to
work should report tomorrow, at normal work locations.
East Bank employees should report to the CDI Building on
Telephone Road in Pascagoula. Work shift will be a 4-by-10
schedule, Tuesday through Friday.
-- Planning department employees, including industrial engineering,
production planning, scheduling and manpower planning:
-- Report to work at normal work times at Pascagoula
locations.
-- Supply Chain Management -- all office personnel:
-- Report to work at normal Pascagoula work locations and
times.
-- Sourcing and material cataloging employees will report
to the EDC (K-Mart building). Supervisors will contact
these employees for work shifts and times.
-- Human Resources and Administration:
-- Except as indicated below, all HRA employees should report
to the CDI Building located on Telephone Road in Moss
Point at 7:30 a.m.
-- Environmental, Health and Safety personnel should report
at their normal locations at 6 a.m.
-- Security plant protection personnel should report as
scheduled by their supervisors.
-- Industrial security personnel should report to the lobby
of Administration Building 2 at 6 a.m.
-- Training department personnel who have not already
reported to work should report to the training complex
at 6 a.m.
GULFPORT OPERATIONS EMPLOYEES
All Northrop Grumman Ship Systems employees working at the Gulfport facility are requested to report to work on Monday, Sept. 19. Employees should report to their regular work areas at 6 a.m. and will work their normal four-day, 10-hour shifts. All management, supervisors and maintenance personnel should continue to report to work for 7 a.m.-to-6 p.m. shifts.
NEW ORLEANS OPERATIONS EMPLOYEES
New Orleans Operations has returned to production. All employees that are able to report to work are asked to do so.
If you have not already checked in at one of the offsite locations and need to obtain reporting information please check in at the Winn Dixie parking lot on Hwy 90 in Boutte, LA between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sept 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, or 22.
If you are unable to report to work please call 877-744-7642 to check in.
Bus Transportation is being provided from the following locations until further notice:
Thibodeaux -- Winn Dixie, 375 North Canal Blvd. The bus departs at 4:45 a.m. Raceland -- Winn Dixie Shopping Center, 4560 Hwy 1. The bus departs at 4:45 a.m. Slidell -- Slidell Factory Outlet Mall. The bus departs at 4:15 a.m.
Bus Transportation begins Monday, Sept. 19 from these two additional locations:
Gonzales -- Location to be announced later this week Hammond -- Harvest World Wide Ministries located at 17197 North I-12 Service Road. The bus departs at 4:15 a.m.
All employees should report to work for a single work shift, from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All employees reporting to work should bring their own food and drinks. The shipyard will provide water and ice. The workweek will be Monday through Thursday 6a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
TALLULAH OPERATIONS EMPLOYEES
-- The Tallulah facility will not be open for normal production
earlier than Monday, Sept. 19; employees are asked to monitor
these updates daily.
-- Maintenance and security shift personnel should continue to
report to work if possible. Reporting personnel should be
prepared to stay overnight.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYEES
-- Northrop Grumman IT sector Gulf Coast employees who have not
checked in with their supervisors should do so immediately and
call the Employee Contact Line at (877) 744-7642.
-- Information Technology employees may also contact the IT
sector's HR customer care center at (800) 604-4890 or
HRCustomerCareCenter@ngc.com for further instructions.
-- Northrop Grumman Information Technology has extended full
pay for impacted employees for two weeks including Labor Day.
NAVSEA SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
All Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast employees in the Gulf Coast hurricane zone are requested to contact (202) 781-3889 to verify their whereabouts and contact information. They may also provide contact information via e-mail at CommandCenter@navsea.navy.mil. All Supship Gulf Coast employees should go to http://www.supship.navy.mil, then click the "Gulf Coast" link under the "SUPSHIPS" heading on the left for notices and information.
TOLL-FREE EMPLOYEE CONTACT LINE
Northrop Grumman continues to request that every employee from its Gulf Coast facilities contact the company via the new toll-free number, (877) 744-7642, to ensure that all employees are accounted for and their needs are being addressed.
Phone service in some regions impacted by the hurricane is not operating at full capacity and may be experiencing high call volume. Northrop Grumman recommends that employees who have had trouble connecting with the (877) 744-7642 number try to call at a later time. This number is staffed 24 hours a day. The company asks employees who reach the number to remain patient if asked to hold. Telephone agents are dedicated to taking your calls as quickly as they can.
PAYROLL INFORMATION
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has extended full pay to all employees for two weeks including the Labor Day holiday and the pay periods ending Sept. 2 and Sept. 9. Ship Systems employees who have been called into work for clean-up and recovery operations will also receive payment for time worked.
To assist employees in managing immediate financial needs resulting from hurricane damages, the paycheck or direct deposit issued to each employee last Friday (which normally would only cover the pay period ending Sept. 2) included pay for both weeks, for a total of 80 hours of pay.
ADDITIONAL PAYROLL INFORMATION
For individuals who normally would receive a check at Avondale, the company has made the net pay amount available via Western Union.
Individuals who did not arrive in time to receive their checks at Pascagoula or Gulfport during the check distribution, last Friday (Sept. 9), will be able to access their net pay amount via Western Union.
Employees may continue to experience difficulty accessing direct deposit payroll at credit unions in the affected areas, and some credit unions have taken the unusual step of limiting cash withdrawals.
-- Employees who use ASI Federal Credit Union and cannot access
their direct deposit payroll will be able to receive a $1,000
emergency cash advance at any Western Union. This cash advance
will be offset against future payrolls.
-- Employees who use all other credit unions in the Gulf Coast
region (Navigator, Keesler FCU, etc.) and are unable to access
funds should call (877) 744-7642. An emergency cash advance
will be provided to these employees by the next day via Western
Union.
TO RECEIVE PAYROLL CASH FROM WESTERN UNION
Employees receiving a Western Union Quick Cash payment may visit any Western Union location, complete a yellow "To Receive Money" form and receive the net-pay amount. Employees must provide the company's name and headquarters location (Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corporation) and present proper identification such as a valid driver's license, passport, military ID card with photo, or their employee badge with photo. Employees can find the closest Western Union by calling (800) 225-5227 and selecting option 4.
WORKERS COMPENSATION PAYMENTS
-- The workers compensation distribution of payments for the period
ending Sept. 9, 2005 will be handled in the following manner:
-- For employees (or their beneficiaries) outside of the
areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina (or those personnel
for whom we have previously received a forwarding address)
the payment distribution will continue to be handled as a
check delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
-- For the balance of employees (or their beneficiaries),
particularly those in the areas impacted by Hurricane
Katrina, payments are now available through Western Union.
-- Any questions regarding whether payment will be made by check or
Western Union "Quick Cash" should be referred to the F.A.
Richard (FARA) Hotline at (888) 560-2562.
MEDICAL COVERAGE
-- Special arrangements have been made to ensure no lapses in
coverage occur for Northrop Grumman employees during the
hurricane recovery period. The company Benefits Center can
assist with health issues, including prescription refills,
medical pre-certifications, and guidance for use of physicians
and hospitals outside the network areas. Call (800) 894-4194.
SAVINGS ACCOUNT LINE
-- Company representatives can respond to questions regarding
savings plan loans or hardship withdrawals. Call (800) 676-
7211.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN EMPLOYEE DISASTER RELIEF FUND AVAILABLE
-- Direct assistance to employees impacted by Hurricane Katrina
will be provided through the new Northrop Grumman Employee
Disaster Relief Fund. Affected employees should call (888) 642-
5645 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PDT to apply.