A union representing drafters at Bath Iron Works has ratified a new contract with wage gains.
The four-year contract won 72 percent support from the members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association, Local 3999 of the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, during a Saturday meeting, according to the Maine AFL-CIO.
Under that contract, the union’s members will get 3 percent raises each year, cost-of-living adjustments as a hedge against inflation, stable health insurance premiums and copayments and greater contributions from the shipyard to health savings accounts, a short-term disability plan to provide 50 percent of a worker’s wage, and work from home flexibility.
“Over the past year, the BMDA and BIW have both focused on improving the Company and Labor relationship, and I believe this contract shows what is possible when both sides truly come to the table in good-faith to work through difficult issues,” Trent Vellella, the union’s president, said Tuesday. “We look forward to administering this contract with that same approach. When we are able to work through labor issues more effectively and focus on the engineering, design, production, and support of US Navy ships, we all do better.”
The union represents 680 workers who perform design, configuration and data management, tests and evaluations and production support for U.S. Navy ships. The majority of workers live in Maine, while some work at the shipyard’s out-of-state offices.