As contract talks continue this weekend between the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association and Bath Iron Works, unions across the state are making plans to show support should a strike be called next week.
Should the talks fail this weekend and more than 700 members of the draftsmen’s union go on strike, the Maine AFL-CIO and BIW’s largest union, Local 6, are working on plans to stand in support.
“We found very strong response from workers wanting to support a fair resolution to this contract and workers will be there, whatever happens Sunday night, Monday, over the weekend,” says Matt Schlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO.
He says unions from across the state are hoping that a fair contact can be reached. Many Local 6 members wore green T-shirts to work on Thursday to show support for the draftsmen.
The key issue in the dispute involves flex time provisions, not pay.
“Take a loved one to the doctor, able to drop their kids at child care, are able to take care of an older parent and still work a full work week and have a little bit of flexibility in that to balance work and life. And that is the core issue here,” Schlobohm says.
