On Sunday, the largest union at the Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works in Maine, Machinists’ Union Local S6, which represents about 4,200 production workers, announced its members had overwhelmingly approved a new three-year contract, allowing the shipbuilder to avoid a strike like the one it experienced three years ago which caused delays in the delivery of ships.
The new contract will go into effect on Monday, and raise the pay between 2.6% to 9.6% over the first year. There will be individual differences due to a mid-contract wage adjustment which has already taken effect for some workers. That will be followed by a 5% increase in the second year and 4% increase in the year after that. Workers will also be given an increase in the company contributions to the national pension plan, as the cost of health insurance continues to grow.
The union noted it is the largest percentage pay raise attained by the union since its founding in the 1950s.
In a Sunday post to their members on the union’s Facebook page, the union said, “Local S6 would like to thank you for your vote and support as we continue to advocate for our members’ best interests and uphold the contract with the utmost dedication.”
In another statement, Bath Iron Works said, “This agreement represents our desire to continue working together to deliver the Navy’s ships on time to protect our nation and our families. We appreciate our employees’ participation in the process. Training and implementation of the new elements of the contract begin this week.”
The union’s membership voted for the pact, with 72% voting in favor of the deal in online voting that began on Friday and concluded Sunday afternoon, according to officials.
The negotiations went smoothly, as both sides agreed at the outset that any attempt to reinstate subcontracting provisions which set off a strike in 2020 during the pandemic would be off the table.
A spokesperson for the union said the negotiations went “smoothly,” unlike the previous negotiations which ended up with the union entering into a 63-day strike which mired the shipbuilder within a morass of construction backlogs.
The company had already been over six months behind schedule on deliveries prior to the strike, and it has been struggling to make deadlines since then. The company will not discuss average delays at present, saying they will vary from ship to ship.
A subsidiary of General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works is among the Navy’s largest shipyards, focusing on building guided missile destroyers. It employs 6,700 workers.
