BIW shipyard hiring temporary workers; mediation next week
With more than 4,000 workers on strike, Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works plans to bring in more subcontractors to join management and existing contractors to try to avoid falling further behind on production, the company’s president said Thursday.
The company and Machinists Union Local S6 are also entering into federal mediation next week in hopes of getting back to the bargaining table, President Dirk Lesko said.
The hiring of more subcontractors — a bone of contention during previous negotiations — will likely infuriate the striking workers. But the company must do what it can to prevent further delays in the delivery of destroyers to the Navy, Lesko said.
“First and foremost, the subcontracting that we’re doing does not impact a single job at Bath Iron Works. Not one person will be displaced because of this,” he told The Associated Press. “The message that we’re sending the customer is that we’re trying to do the best that we can to build the ships when they need them.”
Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/07/02/shipyard-hiring-temporary-workers-mediation-next-week/