Brothers and Sisters,
Below you will find the most recent correspondence between BIW and DL4 regarding contract negotiations.
We will continue to provide updates on our website and Facebook page as they arrive.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee
Local S6 would like to extend a huge thank you to all the supporters, both members and nonmembers alike. We are extremely grateful to our supporters from Maine delegations that have shown up in support of Local S6, as well as all the local businesses that have made donations in support. We know this is an extremely difficult time for the City of Bath, specifically for the residents and small businesses. The economic impact of our strike is shared by our members and local business alike.
BIW’s position is incredibly invasive to the job security and future of the shipyard. Unfortunately, our membership has voted to strike due to BIW’s consistent desire to have the ability to subcontract our jobs to out of state workers for any reason, as well as erode our seniority; the foundation of our Union. Local S6 has kept BIW thriving for generations, protecting and allowing our members to raise their families and support local businesses. BIW could not have sustained the legacy of shipbuilding without all of us.
Our knowledge and deep skill base are what we at Local S6 are trying to protect. If we don’t stand up and fight for what we know is right, the temporary impact to the City of Bath and surrounding communities could be permanent if the decisions being made by BIW go unchecked. We need BIW to remain viable for all of our futures. All we are asking is for a fair contract and keeping Maine jobs in Maine to continue to support our communities.
Do not be lured into the negativity of the false narrative that we are greedy shipbuilders with a list of unreasonable demands. That information misrepresents Local S6 and the thousands of our members who spend their hard-earned money supporting local and statewide businesses, aiding to keep Maines economy alive. Again, thank you for all those who are supporting us and all that will continue to do so.
We must not waiver and we must stand united; solidarity is and will always be the most effective way to stand against corporate greed.
“Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor.”
~~~ John F. Kennedy
More than 4,300 IAM Local S6 shipbuilders in Bath, ME are on strike to stop the company’s continued attempts to outsource work to out-of-state contractors. The proposed contract, which also attacks seniority rights at the shipyard, was voted down by more than 87 percent of the membership.
“Despite our repeated warnings to the management of Bath Iron Works, this employer has continued to take taxpayer dollars and outsource good Maine jobs to out-of-state contractors,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “The company is engaged in flat-out union-busting, and is exploiting the current pandemic to outsource work from its dedicated employees, who are risking their health to build ships that protect our national security.”
Read the full statement of support from Martinez.
Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, has refused to put aside its misguided proposals to subcontract work without workforce shortages at the shipyard, despite the IAM presenting numerous viable solutions to meet the needs of the company and the U.S. Navy.
“BIW President Dirk Lesko and company management are solely responsible for this strike,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Jimmy Conigliaro Sr. “They bet that newly hired and mostly first-time union members would believe the lies and support BIW over their new Brothers and Sisters of IAM Local S6. This was a fool’s bet, as the entire membership is unified and fighting for a contract they all deserve. That is why I’ve committed the territory staff, and all of our resources to support the working families of Local S6 and the communities they live and work in.”
Local S6 President Chris Wiers said he is proud of the membership for standing up for good jobs in Maine.
“We are proud to build the best ships in the world and we want to keep it that way,” said Wiers. “We want jobs at the shipyard to be high quality jobs that members can earn a decent living in over a long career.”
Support has also poured in from Maine elected officials, including from U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, State Senate President Troy Jackson, and State Assistant Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli.
IAM Local S6 members proudly build U.S. Naval ships that engage in a wide variety of combat and peacekeeping missions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, members have risked the health and safety of themselves and their families to continue production for BIW.
The post Maine Local S6 Shipbuilders Standing Strong in Strike at Bath Iron Works appeared first on IAMAW.
As IAM members continue to bravely confront the coronavirus crisis, IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr., remotely attended IAM District 751’s 2020 Membership Conference.
With the theme of “Winning the Vote! Centennial of Women Winning the Right to Vote and the Role of Labor and Race in This Continuing Struggle,” the virtual event took place June 13, 2020 with Martinez, IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, Washington State Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer April Sims, civil rights activist Bill Fletcher, along with hundreds of attendees participating via live video stream.
The protests, turmoil and calls for justice following the killing of George Floyd gave the conference even more importance and timeliness.
“As we speak right now, I feel a real change coming to our country,” said Martinez. “I see people of all races marching, speaking up and speaking out together for a better world, and demanding that justice finally be done. We are here today to turn those calls into action to use our collective voices and our votes to make real, lasting change, just like we have so many times in the history of our union.”
“The IAM has always and will forevermore fight for the rights of those who are oppressed. We fight for equal rights for women, minorities, and all people of color,” said Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “The struggle for justice and equality will always be the labor movements guiding principle. The victories we pursue and the goals we aspire to achieve regarding equal rights for all can only be attained at the ballot box. Once we elect someone it’s only the beginning, as we must hold all politicians accountable.”
The conference was hosted by the District 751 Human Rights, Labor History, Women’s and Legislative Committees. It celebrated women winning the right to vote and emphasized the continued importance of insuring voting rights.
“We appreciate everyone that participated in our conference. It is always important to share the struggles we have come through in our history in order to identify how far we have come and how far we still have to go,” said District 751 President Jon Holden. “Even though much progress has been made for Voting Rights we have much work still ahead of us across the country.
“It is hard to believe that nearly 250 years after the birth of our nation, we are still fighting for equality and the right to vote for everyone,” said Martinez. “This struggle goes to the very core of our democracy.”
Martinez took the opportunity to address District 751 members on the IAM’s ongoing efforts in Washington, DC to protect workers as a result of COVID-19.
“We have been relentless in lobbying Congress to provide federal unemployment relief for the millions of our brothers and sisters that are out of work. We have made certain that companies that get relief, give that relief to their workers instead of pocketing it for the CEOs and other executives,” said Martinez.
IAM Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center
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The post IP Martinez Addresses Racial Justice, Voting Rights and COVID-19 at District 751 Virtual Conference appeared first on IAMAW.
In a new op-ed article in The Hill, Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) Robert E. Scott explains that President Trump’s self-touted policy for an American manufacturing comeback has actually not stemmed the tide of offshoring U.S. jobs.
READ: The wheels are coming off Trump’s trade policy
“Unless steps are taken now to curb dollar overvaluation, which is making imports artificially cheap in the U.S. market, and to curb tax incentives for offshoring, there won’t be a comeback,” Scott wrote. “Unfortunately, Trump has ignored the linkage between his policies and a rising trade deficit.”
In fact, during his presidency, offshoring of manufacturing has continued, and nearly 1,800 factories closed between 2016 and 2018 alone. More than 50 IAM represented plants have closed or announced closures during the same period. Overall, the U.S. has lost more than 91,000 manufacturing plants and nearly 5 million manufacturing jobs since 1997.
“If Trump’s trade policy really encouraged ‘reshoring,’ America’s trade balance would have improved. But the U.S. trade deficit in manufactured goods rose significantly between 2016 and 2019,” Scott wrote. “In fact, the real U.S. trade deficit has increased every year since 2016.”
The COVID-19 pandemic will likely shrink the U.S. trade deficit temporarily, but will simply reemerge unless steps are taken to address dollar overvaluation and tax incentives which promote offshoring.
“In 2016, Donald Trump campaigned against globalization and failed trade deals that have hurt U.S. manufacturing. It worked. He captured nearly 80 percent of the electoral votes in the Top 25 manufacturing states,” Scott wrote. “But he has since failed to deliver for working Americans. Now the wheels are coming off. It’s time for a meaningful rewrite of failed U.S. trade and economic policies.”
The post Economic Policy Institute: White House Trade Policies Failing to Curb Offshoring appeared first on IAMAW.