Chances for a big payday or a reserved parking spot are on the way for Newport News Shipbuilding employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Starting in October, the company is raffling off thank you bonuses and reserved parking spaces for employees who have received the vaccine.

Thank you bonuses will be raffled off each Friday from Oct. 8 through Nov. 12. Employees must be fully vaccinated and their vaccination status in UPoint must state that they are fully vaccinated to be eligible to win. Two winners will be selected for each raffle. The dates for the drawings and the amounts each winner will receive are:

Oct. 8
$7,500

Oct. 15
$5,000

Oct. 22
$3,750

Oct. 29
$3,750

Nov. 5
$2,500

Nov. 12
$2,500

All fully vaccinated shipbuilders also will be entered into a raffle to win a reserved parking spot in Zone A. Three spots will be raffled, one each on Oct. 1, Nov. 1 and Dec. 1. The spots will be good for one year. To claim a thank you bonus or a reserved parking space, winning employees must be willing to have their names published in NNS communications channels.

Bringing COVID-19 vaccinations closer to the workplace is proving popular at NNS, and more employees can take advantage of the opportunity in the coming weeks.

An Aug. 26 shipyard vaccination event resulted in more than 150 shipbuilders receiving the Pfizer vaccine, fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The event was held in Bldg. 4931-1, PCU Assembly Room.

“We were very encouraged by the turnout at the Aug. 26 event,” said Ryan Woolridge, a Crane Engineering manager and a member of the COVID-19 Crisis Action Group (CAG). “With the rising COVID cases and concerns over the delta variant, I feel that these vaccines are our best way to combat this virus and get back to normal.”

The next in-yard vaccine event is set for Sept. 16, at the same location, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be for second doses. Other dates will be announced later.

About 54 percent of the NNS workforce is fully vaccinated. COVID-19 cases continue to rise, and NNS has moved employee testing back to the Old Apprentice School Gym due to an increasing number of tests.

Besides the in-yard events, employees can receive vaccinations at the HII Family Health Center. Call 757-327-4200 to schedule an appointment. Hourly employees are allowed to charge their time if the appointment is during assigned working hours. Salaried employees should flex their time.

Employees vaccinated outside of NNS must self-report their vaccination status in UPoint by logging into www.hiibenefits.com. You must also self-report if you are vaccinated through NNS but are not on an HII medical benefits plan. Unvaccinated employees must self-report and can change their status if vaccinated later.

All employees are encouraged to log into UPoint to ensure their vaccination status is current. To check your status, review the rotating banner on top of the homepage. If the message concludes “vaccine complete,” NNS considers you fully vaccinated. If your status is not on file, you will see “Have you received your COVID-19 vaccine?” with an option to self-report.

If you encounter problems uploading your data into UPoint, call 1-877-216-3222 or contact Rochelle Robbins (O18) at 688-5231 or via email.