Bath Iron Works says it has reached a tentative agreement with the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association to end a five-day strike spurred by the cost of health benefits.
The union will vote on the agreement Saturday morning at Brunswick High School, BIW spokesperson David Hench said in an email Friday evening.
Representatives for the union could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.
After rejecting contract proposal over the weekend, hundreds of workers began picketing outside the General Dynamics’ shipyard on Monday.
It was the first time the BMDA, which represents 627 shipyard employees who primarily work on ship designs, had gone on strike, according to its president, Trent Vellella.
In negotiations this week, the General Dynamics shipyard proposed a four-year contract with wage increases of 10.5% in the first year and 5% increases in the following years, according to a BIW spokesperson. At the end of four years, a union member could earn more than $95,000 annually.
However, the rising costs of benefits like health insurance would cause union members to lose money, strike captain Maggie Luchetti said while on the picket line Thursday.
As of Thursday, the contract proposal between BIW and the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association maintained three health care plans, with the company limiting premium growth to 5.75%, or an average of $2.05 per week.
The proposed health care benefits also keep flexible work schedules, with the ability to work from home and options to purchase additional vacation time.
This is a developing story