KITTERY, Maine — The majority of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees began working without pay Oct. 1, hours after the U.S. government lapsed into a partial shutdown for the first time since 2019.

The road ahead is unclear. As Washington lawmakers quarrel over funding, federal employees nationwide returned to work without a clue when their next paychecks will arrive, while some were furloughed.

Union officials at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which has more than 7,700 civilian employees, began detailing the turmoil as the effects of the shutdown rippled across America.

“Currently, as has been the case with many things affecting our federal workforce this year, communication and guidance from Navy and (Department of Defense) leadership beyond the Shipyard level remains slow-coming and l

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