Our number one priority is and always will be employee health and safety. We are being relied upon to continue manufacturing and shipping our products during this unprecedented time. To ensure we can do so safely, we’ve established protocols to keep our employees safe and preserve business continuity.
The work we do at GE-Lynn provides mission-critical equipment to the U.S. military and the broader aviation industry, and we are proud of our employees who continue to make sure we can deliver for our customers during their time of need. We know hundreds of military helicopters and fighter jets that take off every day rely on GE engines and components made here, which is why our plant is considered part of Homeland Security’s Critical Manufacturing Sector and Defense Industrial Base.
At our site we have adopted additional measures to help protect against the virus, including reinforcing personal hygiene best practices, additional cleaning crews, increased frequency of disinfection of common areas, alternating work teams and the adoption of social distancing.
GE benefits already allow employees who feel ill to use paid sick leave to stay home, and if they are diagnosed with COVID-19, they are now given up to 14 additional days of paid leave to recover (with short-term disability kicking in thereafter if required). If an employee is medically quarantined, they are provided paid leave for the length of the quarantine, without a need to use any of their personal time off.
We believe these leave policies — both existing paid time off and new COVID-related paid leave — provide our employees with the ability to respond to concerns over their health and to work safely when healthy.
Our pay policy also gives employees who face childcare challenges as a result of school closings the right to use existing paid personal business and vacation time to care for their children while they seek alternative arrangements.
Thankfully none of our Lynn employees have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but we recognize that everyone’s risk factors and situations are different. Employees are encouraged to speak with their manager regarding a particular risk or challenge they face, to determine the best path forward for the employee and the business.
Throughout our 100 years in the aviation industry GE has played an active role in helping the world overcome challenges, and we are committed to doing the same in the fight against COVID-19.
As this pandemic continues to evolve, GE-Lynn is committed to staying connected to our employees and to monitoring national and local health agencies and governments. We realize this is a trying period, and we thank our employees for all they are doing. We will get through this together.
Matt O’Connell
GE-Lynn Area Executive & General Manager
