Northrop Grumman Strike Enters Fourth Week at Pascagoula Shipyard
The strike at Mississippi’s largest private employer, Northrop Grumman’s Pascagoula Shipyard, is now 23 days old. A faint glimmer of hope for a resolution was seen in the form of a meeting between both sides this week, with two additional meetings promised for next week, as well. The strike, affecting all unions in the yard except office personnel has slowed work at the Mississippi facility noticeably. Yesterday, the AFL-CIO’s Metal Trades Department (MTD) President Ron Ault told MarEx that he would personally attend next week’s meetings, with the hope of jumpstarting the process of reconciliation.
Ault told MarEx on Thursday, “I’ve been optimistic all along, but so far I’ve also been wrong.” He added, “I don’t think anyone--the union or the shipyard--has any interest in keeping this strike alive.” As the strike moves into its fourth week, Ault claims that the work stoppage is the longest he’s been involved in since 1999. Although no additional offers have yet been received by the union from the shipyard, next week’s meetings hold at least the promise of moving the two sides closer together.
Picketing commenced at the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Pascagoula on March 8 with the majority of local labor unions represented at the shipyard’s main entrance. A statement released at the time of the strike by the Pascagoula Metal Trades Department on its Web site said, “Members of the Pascagoula Metal Trades Council--comprised of 11 craft unions representing 6,700 workers at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems yard at Ingalls--have rejected a proposed contract settlement with Northrop Grumman by an overwhelming margin. Ingalls workers have been working under a contract extension since their previous agreement expired on March 4th. This is the second rejection vote by the Council in this round of negotiations.”
Strikers are demanding a new contract, with specific concerns revolving around high insurance costs and inadequate salary offers from Northrup Grumman, according to the MTD’s Ron Ault. Three weeks ago Ault stated, “The frustrations of the region are now coming out. These people have been abandoned by their government. It’s getting a little better here, but the response from the government has been terrible.” Ault also maintains that every strike he has been involved in over the past 8 or 10 years has involved the cost of health care. “This one is no different,” he said.
The shipyard’s offer to the striking workers has been posted on its Web site and can be read at http://www.ss.northropgrumman.com/pdf/ComparisonBook.pdf. Calls to Northrop Grumman for comment this week were not returned in time for this edition of the MarEx e-newsletter.
According to Northrop Grumman’s Web site, Northrop Grumman’s Ship Sector (NGSS) is headquartered in Pascagoula, MS, and includes primary operations in Pascagoula, MS, New Orleans, LA, Gulfport, MS, and Tallulah, LA, as well as fleet support offices in the U.S. and Japan. NGSS, which currently employs more than 18,000 shipbuilding professionals, is one of the nation's leading full-service systems companies for the design, engineering, construction, and life cycle support of major surface ships for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and international navies, as well as for commercial vessels of all types.