Recently, a former Maine senator, Amy Volk, submitted an opinion on her concern for the future of Bath Iron Works (Sun Journal, July 30). It is clear that she has only been speaking to BIW management, as she distorts the facts, just as BIW management has been lately.

She attempts to portray IAM Local S6 as the problem which, based on her displeasure of labor unions while in the Maine House and Senate, is no surprise.

She reports that the union is sending out mixed messages on why the members voted to strike. Further, she opines that there are members who disagree with the 87% of union members that stood up to the company’s bad faith proposal. That leaves 13%.

Wow, for a majority that large to vote down BIW’s proposal is significant.

One important note is the president of BIW is currently Dirk Lesko, son of Newland Lesko, who orchestrated the breakdown of negotiations that led to then UPIU Local 14’s vote to strike at International Paper in 1987. It became clear in that the elder Lesko’s strategy was more about breaking the union than protecting the company’s bottom line, as IP had near record profits at the time. Replacement workers came from the south and some had no problem taking another worker’s job.

The reality today is Maine is struggling to find manpower, so it will be difficult for the current Lesko to employ the same strategy. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try.

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The major concerns about the company proposal is the elimination of seniority provisions and contracting out work. Seniority is one of the pillars of unionism. Even non-union companies celebrate employees who stay longer, as they are generally more valuable and understand the business model. Just in 2019, Dirk Lesko’s speech at the Master Shipbuilders Open House commended shipbuilders who had 40 years or more at BIW. Either he didn’t believe what he was saying, or he has forgotten those who have made BIW so successful through the years.

Contracting out promotes inefficiencies and rework for in-house employees. While contracting in some cases may make sense, wholesale contracting at BIW has proven difficult to manage, with little oversight and rampant spending. The nation’s shipbuilders see this inefficiency every day. That is one of the things that Volk doesn’t understand — that it is the blue collar union worker who actually knows how to build the ships efficiently.

Last week, the company finally agreed to come back to the table. So far, the company has not bargained in good faith. The question is, will the company meet in good faith in the interests of those who get up every morning to build the best fleet of ships in the world?

Patrick Carleton, vice president, Maine AFL-CIO, Chesterville


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