BIW machinists union approves new contract, ending nine-week strike
File Photo / William Hall
Members of the machinists union at Bath Iron Works launched their walkout June 22 and picketed outside the shipyard, near the union hall, shown in background.
Union employees at Bath Iron Works are due to return to work after voting over the weekend to approve a proposed new contract and end a nine-week strike.
The 4,300 members of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers Local S6 ratified the collective bargaining agreement by a majority of 87%, the union said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
The new deal was struck Aug. 7, and Local S6 members voted online and by phone from Friday to Sunday at noon. The workers were scheduled to return to the shipyard, which primarily makes Navy destroyers, for regular shifts on Sunday night and Monday.
Local S6, which represents about two-thirds of BIW’s workforce, launched the walkout June 22 after a previous contract expired and members rejected a new one proposed by the yard’s owner, Virginia-based defense contractor General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD).
Contract negotiations were often contentious, particularly around BIW’s proposed use of non-union subcontractors. The new agreement phases out some of BIW’s current subcontracting and restricts it to previous limits. Union members will also continue to receive seniority protections, comparable benefits and a 3% yearly bump in wages.
In a statement Sunday, BIW spokesman David Hench said, “We are pleased to welcome back our valued manufacturing employees and get back to the important work of building ships on schedule for the U.S. Navy.
"This contract reflects the commitment of all BIW employees to improve schedule performance and the economic package ensures that manufacturing careers at BIW continue to be among the very best in Maine.”
Local S6 President Chris Wiers said in a news release, “This strike was a testament to the culmination of Local S6 leadership, our negotiating committee and the incredible power of solidarity shown by our membership. Now that we successfully protected our contract language with respect to subcontracting and seniority, we need to get back to work.”
IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. added, “IAM Local S6 has shown the world that together working people can stand up and win for themselves, their families and their communities. This fight for dignity, justice and good Maine jobs will go down in the history books of the machinists union and all of organized labor.”
The IAM strike lasted 62 days, surpassing the 55 days of the local’s last strike, in 2000.
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