I Dont Know...

…About This.  I’ve dealt with, and work in one of the Public Shipyards, both active (Pearl, Portsmouth and Puget) and closed (Mare Island) and have My Own Opinion.

First of all, the yards are Old and Falling Apart.  If you look at a GAO Report (PDF), you get an idea.  Our hands are tied by bureaucracy.  It’s a historic building and we can’t (fill in the blank) this building.  Pearl is really screwed when it comes to historic buildings.  WE do have plans for Dry Dock 3, but it’s going to cost $$$

Everything in the GAO Report is true.  But talk about waste.  As a sailor and now a person in The Yard, I have a unique Prospective.

My personal prospective is this, the Older Workers don’t give a fuck.  Going from job site to job site, they putter around at 5 – 10 mph below the speed limit.  When the whistle blows, it’s the Indy 500.

Mare Island, during work hours, literally 15 – 20 mph in a 25 mph zone.  Whistle blew, 40 – 45 mph down the main drag.  I was there from 1982 – 1990

Pearl Harbor (2001 to present), during work hours , it seems that every government vehicle putts around at 20 mph.  Quitting Time, 35 mph.  NAVFAC is the biggest Douches Of All Time.

I had to go to Talk 101 (PDF) which is like drinking the Corporate Kool-Aid, and they divided the class up into 2 groups, short time and long time in the shipyard (age doesn’t matter, time in the yard(s) does).  One of the questions posed to use, is What Pisses Us Off, which is a Valid Question.

The Kids (younger group) bitched about a Lack Of Urgency, which is a Valid Complaint.  One of our group (Old Farts) said that it doesn’t matter as he gets paid by the hour, not the job, which Pissed Me Off.

I turned on him and read him the Riot Act.  Pretty much told him, He’s What’s Wrong With All Of The Ship Yards.  I f you can’t get to the work site with the same urgency that you use to go home, you need to get the fuck out of the yard.  We need to run the yard like a business, and if you can’t abide by this GTFO.

Needless to say, I pissed him off (like I care), made connections with the kids (I DO Care, and left the facilitators of the course absolutely speechless!!!

Prioritize Your Repairs Like You Are Going Home or Going To War.  Pretty soon, we’ll be Top Performing Yard!!!