The Federal Aviation Administration has issued four additional “stop-work orders” for contractors at the William J. Hughes Technical Center, bringing the total number of halted contracts at the Egg Harbor Township facility to 27.
The FAA also has provided furloughed employees with information on how to apply for unemployment and what steps to take when unemployment benefits run out.
About 640 tech center employees have been furloughed since midnight July 22 after Congress failed to approve an extension of the FAA’s operating authority. The shutdown also has affected an unknown number of outside employees working on the 27 contracts.
The project added to the “stop-work order” list Thursday included a $6.7 million contract with Egg Harbor Township-based Hi-Tec Systems and a $700,000 contract with Morristown-based Honeywell. Contracts for Massachusetts-based Engility Corp. and Upper Township-based C-FAR services have been deleted from the list.
Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urged lawmakers Thursday to pass a bill to end the shutdown that has also left 70,000 construction workers nationwide out of work. The disagreements in Congress stem from underlying partisan disputes over labor rights and subsidies for rural communities.
“For all of my friends on Capitol Hill who give speeches every day about jobs, the importance of jobs, putting people to work, this is not the time to be laying off 70,000 construction workers,” LaHood said at the White House.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Jennifer Bogdan
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