Full announcement:  Vubiz Renewal Announcement and Details

The 9/1/18 United Steelworkers Basic Labor Agreement (BLA) provides for a profit-sharing pool of 7.5% of the company’s profits, defined as Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT).  The company reported an unaudited Adjusted EBIT of $553,667,701.73. 

PEP payments since 9/1/12 are $32,450,000. This is in excess of the $26,500,000 pre-existing pool which was funded by the 2012 Basic Labor Agreement by $5,950,000. $4,430,000 was deducted from the profit sharing generated in Q1 2021, $620,000 was deducted from the profit-sharing generated in Q2 2021, $720,000 was the deducted from the profit sharing generated in Q3 2021, and the balance of 180,000 was deducted from the profit sharing generated in Q4 2021. As a result, the Q4 2021 profit-sharing pool after the PEP deduction is $41,345,077.63.

There were 5,952,516.73 eligible hours worked resulting in a profit-sharing amount of $6.946 per hour with a maximum of 48 eligible hours per week.

$6.946 x 520 hours = $3611.92
$6.946 x 624 hours = $4334.30

Keep up the great work! 

In Solidarity, 
Pete Trinidad Sr. 
USW Local 6787 
President 

Every contract leaves unfinished business. But a good contract makes improvements that can significantly benefit shipbuilders in the yard and in life.

The contract that you will vote on meets that marker:

• This contract, like past agreements, brings in new money ($22,000)
• It includes a first-ever Essential Employee payment
• It speeds up wage progression and removes barriers to advancement
• Domestic partners will be eligible for medical benefits for the first time
• It boosts pension payments by $350

This is a solid contract that protects our members and their families, and I stand behind it strongly. 

Now, there will be members who disagree with me or other negotiators. That's fine. But a "No Vote" will leave no choice but to take a vote to strike. That would take more time.

But I know this truth: strikes bring hardships without a guarantee of getting a better contract.

Truthfully, how many missed paychecks can you take? I have some experience. We lost two holidays and 10% vacation time in the 1995 contract that led to the 1999 strike. I'm proud to say that we just regained that second holiday in this contract.

Through good times and hard times, I have poured my heart into this union. I'm grateful to lead negotiators who delivered their best. I believe this contract keeps us on solid footing for the future.

I encourage this generation in the yard to accept the challenge and hard work of fighting for better and better contracts, along with building activism and solidarity, and servicing the community.

With your vote, put your stamp on this contract. 

REMINDER

1. Please complete your mail ballot when it arrives and mail it back IMMEDIATELY.
2. It is strongly recommended that you mail your ballot by March 2nd for it to be received by March 7th, the deadline. No late ballots will be counted.
3. You MUST put your name on the outside return envelope for your ballot to be counted. 

October 16-19, 2022

“The happy people don’t talk to me,” is a phrase you’ll hear me say often. It’s true that one of the things that your Union provides is a person to help you solve problems at work. The Union is more than just a complaint department though. There is a positive to every negative we experience as a Union family of workers.

Through attrition, our headcount has been reduced, and that means that we are all doing more with less, but we are doing it. I am very proud of you. I have witnessed my brothers and sisters coming together, and helping each other on the shop floor to keep our shop running. Yes, there is a lot of stress everyone is experiencing, but we are responding to the stress by coming together, not by turning against each other.

In every family there are differences, and arguments, but in times of crisis and need there are few things stronger than the family. We are forming a united bond, and coming to the realization that we all have a common cause, our jobs, our shop. It really is our shop. Without our Union family, it’s merely a building and some equipment. These are hard times, and when we come out the other side we can go back to our differences and our family arguments, but right now we will support each other and be strong for one another.

“I hate coming to work, but I do it for my family,” one brother told me recently. I’d like to believe that he is doing it for both of his families. His family at home, and the one here in the shop.

There are lots of changes taking place in our shop, and change is always hard; however, you are rolling with the changes, and landing on your feet. You should be proud of yourself for your ability to adapt and overcome any changes you find when get to work.

I know that the Attaboys are few and far between at work right now, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate our brothers and sisters. It has always bothered me how easily we side with the person who wants to put down our coworker. Are we supposed to believe that when that person is talking about us to someone else that they are not saying the same types of things about us? Let’s flip that around. The next time other people start bad mouthing your Union family member, say something positive about that member. Watch what happens.

Please do me a favor. Next week, find one Union brother or sister on the shop floor and give them an Attaboy. Don’t be insincere, we receive plenty of those from other people.

You know the person who is always working hard, or the brother who helps out the worker on the next machine without being asked. Walk up to that Union family member and tell them how much you appreciate what they do. We all need some positive feedback right now, and we can give that to each other.

The struggle to move this Union family forward is going to continue, and I believe that we will make it, but if no one else...