GROTON — About 2,500 marine drafters at General Dynamics Electric Boat will not go on strike Monday after their union announced Sunday night it had reached a tentative agreement with the submarine manufacturer on a new contract.
The deal was made after a number of contract talks in recent weeks between the Groton-based company and the UAW union, which represents the marine drafters, a group of employees focused on submarine design. About 75% of the marine drafters voted last month to authorized a strike option, and UAW leaders had repeatedly criticized the company in the past few weeks for its alleged disregard for the union's contract demands. But ultimately the sides were able to make a deal, with the key terms including compounded general wage increases of more than 30%, according to UAW officials.
"We've been saying it all along: The company didn't want a work stoppage, we did not want a work stoppage," said William Louis, president of UAW Local 571, during a webcast on Sunday night. "And as we've been telling you for a long time, we have been working endlessly to get to the table with the company and have something put together that we both agree on. That happened about 15 minutes ago."
The tentative contract is not a done deal because it needs to be ratified by a majority of the marine drafters. Union officials did not announce during the webcast when the marine drafters would vote on the contract, but they said that there would be opportunities for union members to weigh in.
"Over the next few days, we will be having a process for discussing and debating the details of the agreement, answering questions and making sure every member gets a chance to make an informed decision," said Brandon Mancilla, director of UAW Region 9A.
If the marine drafters had gone on strike, it would have been their first work stoppage since the early 1980s. Such a strike would have sidelined about 10% of the workforce of Electric Boat, which employs approximately 24,000 people, including about 15,000 in Connecticut. Its production for the U.S. Navy includes Virginia-class fast-attack boats and Columbia-class ballistic-missile vessels.
A message left Sunday night for an Electric Boat spokesperson was not immediately returned.
Although Louis and Mancilla touted the gains that they said the tentative agreement would deliver, union officials also indicated that they had made concessions on key issues. In an email sent to members after the webcast, UAW officials said that their "big three" contract demands of a cost-of-living adjustment, profit sharing and pensions for all members "remain challenges for the future."
"It's been a long road, it's been a very difficult road," Louis said. "It's probably been the hardest negotiations that we've been through, at least in my time, from what I've seen personally."
While the tentative agreement has been endorsed by the union's bargaining committee, it remains to be seen whether it will resonate with the union's rank and file. More than 2,200 marine drafters had signed up for picket-line duties in the past week. They have also shown their willingness to pressure the company for better wages and benefits by turning out in the hundreds for several rallies in the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, a work stoppage continues at another manufacturing giant in the state. More than 3,000 machinists who work at jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney's plants in East Hartford and Middletown have been on strike since May 5. While the company has offered wage increases and larger payments to components of the machinists' 401(k) and pension plans, union leaders assert that the company still needs to provide better wages and benefits, and give stronger job-security guarantees.
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