Shipbuilders petition Sen. Kaine

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Workers at Norfolk's BAE Systems shipbuilding petitioned Sen. Tim Kaine Wednesday to keep as many workers on the job as possible.

The company sent out WARN notices last month in light of budget cuts, letting its workforce know layoffs could be on the horizon in late March or April.

"With the ideas of getting the emails and being able to email our senators, we wanted to do something that was a little more personable and so we wrote this letter and took it around and got hundreds of signatures, about 900," BAE Systems senior apprentice Daniel Beeler told 10 On Your Side.

The petition is calling for Hampton Roads' congressional delegation to solve the budget crisis and prevent the loss of thousands of ship repair and construction jobs not just at BAE but at facilities across the nation.

"We're worried about our country and everything," BAE Systems senior apprentice Brad Yuilla said. "We're trying to look out for our future."

The Senate is likely to support a defense portion of a measure approved by the House to extend a modified version of the Continuing Resolution.

"We're optimistic that in the end we'll have a very positive result and we'll be able to continue to support the navy that does the great work they do supporting our nation," BAE Systems Director of Communication John Meaell said.