Stryker Reset Program

The Stryker reset program is underway here at Anniston Army Depot.  The program will bring depot mechanics and GDLS mechanics side by side to repair and service worn vehicles to bring them back up to par and ready for our war fighters. The resets will take less time to complete as the vehicle is not completely disassembled.

The Depot received the 312 vehicles in late October and began the de-slating operation on November 2^nd.  Plans from this point are beginning the LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) on December 1^st on the first four Stryker’s.  These four vehicles will be reset and ready for shipment by December 23^rd.  January will start the full rate production and it is predicted that 32 Stryker’s will be reset during that month.  February will produce 51 vehicles. March’s goal is 63, April’s is 57, and May will produce 54 reset vehicles. The program will wrap up on June 18^th producing the final 37 reset Stryker’s for that month.

There are three phases to the reset process.  Phase one begins with receiving the vehicles in building 268 where they will be stripped of all armor and then sent to building 143 where they will be assessed and stripped of the seats, floor boards, engine panels, cooling grills and full up power pack (FUPP). The batteries will also be removed and all components will be checked.  They will then be sent to building 421 where they will be washed. Phase two begins in building 400 where they will undergo more detailed cleaning and repairs if necessary. Many forms of service operations will be preformed here and some items previously removed will be replaced. General troubleshooting will also be performed during this phase.  A road test will wrap up phase two.  Phase three begins in building 143 where other items will be replaced and the vehicle will go to the paint booth.  The final wash and inspection will be done at this point and the vehicle will be ready for DCMA to inspect and accept the vehicle.  Packaging and shipment will sum it all up for Phase three and the vehicle will be moved to the holding yard for shipment.

 What does this mean for Anniston Army Depot? The future for Anniston Army Depots workload appears to be extremely bright with the introduction of this work which was formerly done in Canada and Fort Lewis, Washington.  Depot employees have always produced exceptional results on their projects and this will be no different.  Government mechanics working with the Stryker’s accustomed mechanics, GDLS mechanics, will also give them the opportunity to learn more about the vehicles and gain more experience with reconditioning them in ways other than overhauling.  

Editor: Julie Horne

AFGE STATEMENT ON FEHBP 2010 PREMIUM INCREASE

The American Federation of Government Employees expresses grave concern at the announcement by the Office of Personnel Management that premiums under FEHBP would be rising by an average of 8.8% in 2010.

Lost in the announced average is the fact that for 60% of the enrollees in FEHBP, those covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option, their premiums will be going up by 15% for self coverage and 12% for family coverage. To add insult to injury, enrollees will not only have to pay much higher premiums, they will have to pay a higher share of premiums, as FEHBP’s formula allows the government to shift an increasing share of costs onto enrollees every time a plan’s premiums go up by more than the average. In 2010, the government will pay just 67% of the standard option’s family premium, down from 69% last year.

Already we know that tens of thousands of full time federal employees do not participate in FEHBP and are not covered by another source. This increase will make it impossible for lower-paid workers to achieve the health security they need. Although the Obama Administration was not in office to negotiate with the insurance carriers for the 2010 contract year, AFGE intends to work closely with them to ensure that negotiations with the carriers will produce far better results for 2011.