TOPSHAM (AP) – Three days of hearings aimed at sorting out the status of the largest union at Bath Iron Works concluded with a marathon session that continued through the night before wrapping up at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, a union official said.

The three-member panel that had been hearing testimony since Monday now has 60 days to reach a conclusion about Local S6 and its leadership, said John Carr, spokesman for the Machinists union.

Local S6 was placed in receivership last month by the international because of accusations including financial improprieties and pornography on computers.

Initially, 10 officials were suspended but seven have been reinstated. Among those still under suspension is the president of Local S6, Mike Keenan.

The three-member panel that includes a regional district officer and a union president from the Northeast took its time in listening to the international union’s findings and hearing testimony from local officials and union members, Carr said.

“Nothing was rushed,” Carr said. “We gave every member, every member of the leadership, time for due process.”

Keenan could not be reached immediately for comment. He has maintained that he and other leaders did nothing wrong.

The dispute arose as the union prepares to begin negotiations with the shipyard on a new contract over the next few weeks. The current contract expires at midnight on May 18.

Carr said that negotiations will move forward, despite the investigation and uncertainty over whether Keenan will participate. Most of the members of the negotiation team already have participated in union preparations.

AP-ES-04-17-08 1201EDT