Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 3, 1991 TAG: 9104030334
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium
Production and maintenance employees ratified the contract Monday by a vote of 2,370 to 330, said union spokeswoman Joan Sutton. About one-third of the 9,000 members of Local 8888 voted.
"This 46-month milestone agreement comes at a time when labor peace, quality craftsmanship and a yard clearly recognized for its ultramodern technology can give Newport News Shipbuilding the edge it needs to garner the Seawolf [submarine] contract," said Judy Boyd, the union's chief negotiator.
Newport News Shipbuilding is competing with Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., to build the Seawolf.
The contract provides a 14 percent pay raise - a 5 percent across-the-board pay increase effective April 1; a 4 percent increase effective Aug. 3, 1992; and a 5 percent increase in the last 14 months of the agreement, the union said.
Under the contract, wage increases will range from $1 to $1.85 per hour. The union also negotiated a new 401K savings plan. The contract also calls for employees to receive a $500 bonus upon ratification of the pact and another $500 bonus on Dec. 6, 1993.
The contract, which had been negotiated since Feb. 7, also would grant union concessions on health-care costs, an issue on which the company pushed hard, Boyd said. All employees will have higher deductibles on their health insurance.
The steelworkers' union is the bargaining agent for about 15,500 production and maintenance employees at the yard, but only union members were allowed to vote on the pact.
The yard, with a total of 29,000 workers, is the state's largest private employer.
"We have reached a good settlement, one that we think meets our employees' needs and still keeps us competitive in our industry," said shipyard spokesman Jack Schnaedter.
by CNB