Bath Iron Works and its largest union begin contract negotiations this week, the first time the sides will meet at the bargaining table since contentious 2020 negotiations resulted in a strike.
Machinists Union Local S6, which represents about 4,250 of the shipyard’s 6,500 workers, and BIW, the state’s fourth-largest private employer, are set to start contract talks Wednesday. The union’s current contract expires Aug. 20.
“This is an important milestone that we have to come through together,” BIW spokesperson David Hench said in a statement. “We are looking forward to a productive and positive bargaining process so we can continue the important work we are doing building Navy ships.”
Talks broke down between the two sides in 2020 over the shipyard’s use of subcontractors and seniority rules, among other factors. After a bitter two-month strike that, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, left the shipyard months behind schedule in building its destroyers, the sides agreed on a contract that included annual 3% pay raises for workers and a compromise on subcontracting and seniority rules.
“We are hoping to see a fair proposal from the company that recognizes the hard work and sacrifices of the membership,” Local S6 spokesperson Devin Ragnar said in a statement. The union declined to specify what it’s looking for in a new contract.
The union says it’s willing to strike again if necessary. In early June, 99% of union members who voted approved a strike sanction measure as leverage for the talks. The vote authorizes benefit checks for members if the union goes on strike.
“This vote is vital to our negotiation efforts,” the union said in a statement at the time. “We have no power to have our demands met without the ability to strike. We need to show the company that we are ready to strike if it becomes necessary.”
A strike sanction is a common union tactic but typically not so far in advance of negotiations.
The two sides have new leaders this time around — Chris Williams is president of Local S6 and Chuck Krugh is president of BIW. In 2020, it was Chris Wiers and Dirk Lesko, respectively.
In a message to union members earlier this year about the bargaining process, Williams quoted Frederick Douglass, saying, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
“Solidarity is grown through our actions more than our words,” Williams said. “If the 2020 strike taught us anything, it is that we thrive off unity.”
He added, “I am confident in the skills and knowledge of the current leadership. We have a comradery that keeps us working together effectively. This unity is key to our success in negotiations.”
A defense analyst said BIW has been performing well under Krugh’s leadership. In April, Admiral Mike Gilday, U.S. chief of naval operations, visited BIW and commended the shipyard for speeding up production, saying it’s 30%-60% ahead of schedule in some phases. Krugh attributed it to “getting back to basics.”
“We have the best workforce, bar none, in the nation,” Krugh said at the time. “You look at what the welders do, what the pipefitters do, it’s absolutely amazing.”
BIW currently has six destroyers under construction. It’s the only vessel the shipyard builds, and it competes with the larger Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi to win government contracts to build the warships, which Maine’s congressional delegation sees as key to keep up with China’s growing navy and power the local economy. The annual defense bill now making its way through Congress includes approval for a $4.2 billion contract for two more destroyers in the next fiscal year.
Five unions represent workers at BIW. In addition to Local S6, there’s the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association, which represents about 700 workers; the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local S7, which represents about 200 workers; the Independent Guards Association; and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 5257, which represents about 20 workers.
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