Biden to BIW: 'Make a fair offer' to strikers - Press Herald

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Former Vice President Joe Biden weighed in on the Bath Iron Works strike Wednesday, urging the company to resume contract talks with the shipyard’s largest union and make members of the local machinists union a “fair offer” that will allow them to take care of their families.

The likely Democratic presidential nominee issued a statement through a regional spokesman on Wednesday afternoon.

“Local S6 members work hard to ensure that our military have the tools they need to be successful,” Biden said. “It’s up to us to make sure that those same workers have what they need to accomplish that for their own families. A job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about dignity.”

He concluded: “I urge the Bath Iron Works to come back to the table to make a fair offer to the hardworking men and women.”

John Cabral, of Lisbon, a material handler at BIW, joins members of local S6 of the Machinists Union in a picket line near at the South Gate entrance to BIW on Monday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo

The union, which represents 4,300 of the shipyard’s 6,700 employees, rejected a three-year contract proposal over the weekend. Of those voting, 87 percent voted to go out on strike, with members of the third shift walking out of the Bath facility at the stroke of midnight when the last contract expired.

In the contract that union members shot down, BIW sought the right to hire subcontractors “to overcome manning shortages, lack of equipment, or facilities,” but agreed it would not use subcontractors “to avoid hiring employees … or to overcome a manning shortage if there are involuntary layoffs in the relevant trade.”

Union leaders worry extensive use of subcontractors could erode members’ job security, and say the deal would also erode hard-won seniority and healthcare benefits. The company says it needs to contain costs and use subcontractors until it can train enough new workers to stay competitive on federal contracts.

A division of General Dynamics, BIW produces destroyers for the Navy, specifically the Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile warships. It is about six months behind on its current contract. The last BIW strike occurred in 2000 and lasted 55 days.

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