Rapid Fire July 31, 2012: No WARN Act

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* The US Labor Department issued guidance [PDF] on the application of the WARN Act in advance of sequestration. They are saying defense contractors with contracts at stake should not send WARN Act notices, contrarily to the position held by Lockheed Martin and others. They argue that while “it is currently known that sequestration may […]

* The US Labor Department issued guidance [PDF] on the application of the WARN Act in advance of sequestration. They are saying defense contractors with contracts at stake should not send WARN Act notices, contrarily to the position held by Lockheed Martin and others. They argue that while “it is currently known that sequestration may occur, it is also known that efforts are being made to avoid sequestration.” It is a bizarre line of reasoning given that executing sequestration next January is currently signed law. Perhaps knowing this, the Dept of Labor also argues that because DoD hasn’t announced which contracts would be affected, potential layoffs are speculative.

* Lockheed Martin has delivered the 8th C-5M Super Galaxy to the USAF.

* It may come in handy for moving blast-resistant MRAP vehicles from Afghanistan to their projected staging & storage areas, in Italy and the Western Pacific. Given North Korea’s known intent to use massive commando infiltration, MRAPs seem like a smart tactical choice in Korea.

* The Philippines is talking to Italy for potential naval acquisitions.

* The GAO looked into how agile software development can be applied by the federal government.

* The Center for Public Integrity – a liberal nonprofit that sometimes blurs the lines between investigative journalism and advocacy – gathered some data on General Dynamics’ lobbying spending, especially in support of the M1 Abrams tank.

* Retired US Navy chief petty officer Mark Stet, during a townhall meeting with several senators: “My son didn’t die for the crap you people are doing in D.C. Do you understand that?” His son Army Staff Sgt. Mark A. Stets Jr. died in Pakistan in early 2010.

* Weird lawsuit of the day: male employees of a Huntington Ingalls Industries subcontractor accused the two companies of firing them after complaining that a female supervisor kneed them in the groin. This has been settled by the parties, though the thought is unsettling.

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