BIW vows to mend labor woes

BATH – Having launched the last warship down the old inclined ways, Bath Iron Works and its largest union now are working to rebuild relations strained by last year’s strike.

Both sides announced Friday they agreed to a list of recommendations from a consultant who interviewed 1,500 workers and found high levels of distrust, a lack of respect and overall low morale.

The agreement was consummated with a handshake Thursday night and unveiled to shipbuilders as they arrived Friday morning.

“This is a very important first step,” said Allan Cameron, the shipyard’s president. “Now what we have to do with union leadership is to do the hard stuff, make the improvements, start the journey.”

Cameron was joined by Local S6 President Rock Grenier and consultant Bill Usery in a conference room overlooking new cranes, equipment and a drydock that were part of a $240 million modernization.

Cameron said that just as the shipyard needed to replace its old building ways, it also needs to replace the old ways of dealing with labor relations.

To do that, the shipyard turned to Usery, a former U.S. labor secretary who helped mediate a settlement to a 55-day strike last year by the Machinists Union’s Local S6, which represents 4,500 workers.

The survey by Bill Usery Associates revealed troubling information. For starters, virtually everyone interviewed reported a pervasive level of distrust and workers felt the company wanted to break the union.

The survey also found, among other things, that workers did not feel their skills and ideas were respected by management, that there was too little emphasis on safety and there was a general lack of communication.