Strike Ends at Bath Iron Works After One Week
The members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association ratified a new contract on Saturday, March 28, ending a strike at Bath Iron Works that had begun on the prior Monday. It was the first strike in six years at the critical government contractor and impacted about a tenth of the total workforce, specifically among designers, clerks, and technicians.
The union reported that it had been negotiating for about three weeks and was unable to come to terms with one of the oldest shipyards in the United States and a key defense contractor. It is currently the builder of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, after having completed the Zumwalt-Class destroyers in 2022. Bath currently has under construction two Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and five Flight III destroyers, after completing a contract extension last fall.
The newly ratified contract, MaineBiz reports, provides a 28 percent wage increase over four years. Previous reports were that the yard had offered total compound wage growth of 23.8 percent over the next four years, with 10 percent this year and four percent in each of the next three years.
A union representative told the Associated Press that they had not been able to meet all the goals of the negotiations. However, they said it also provides “a better contract foundation” for future negotiations.
The union represents about 620-plus members out of a total yard workforce of more than 6,800 people. The workers who had gone on strike are responsible for design, nondestructive tests, technical clerks, laboratory technicians, and associate engineers.
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The company said it planned to keep operations going during the strike through the use of other salaried personnel, subcontractors, and employees who elected to come to work. However, concerns had still been raised that a prolonged strike could impact the production of the destroyers.
The yard is one of the oldest and largest suppliers to the U.S. Navy. It traces the origins of the foundry to 1826 and says the company has been involved in shipbuilding since 1888. It is one of only a handful of yards the Navy has accredited to build its most advanced warships. Bath Iron Works is the lead on the Arleigh Burke-class, having built the first vessel and so far delivered 38 warships to the U.S. Navy. It has built more than half the ships in the class.