Blue Collar Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Workers Win Boston-Level Wage Scale

The Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service (DCPAS) has recently updated pay tables for blue collar Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers to reflect Boston-area prevailing wages instead of rural Maine and New Hampshire prevailing wages. The Portsmouth Metal Trades Council (MTC), a union representing 3,000 skilled trades workers fought hard for the new wage scale, which gives a boost to shipyard worker wages to reflect the rising cost of living in the seacoast region.

“This is one of the accomplishments I’m most proud of during my time leading this incredible group of people,” MTC President Alana Schaeffer said in a statement. “Seeing the workforce valued more fairly for their skill, dedication, and mission-critical work brings me real joy—and deep gratitude for everyone who refused to let this go. Progress like this doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because people show up, push forward, and don’t quit. WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN!”

The union has long argued that paying PNSY workers based on a wage areas in rural Maine and New Hampshire did not accurately reflect the cost of living in the area. In 2022, after being unable to complete a 2020 wage survey due to the coronavirus epidemic, the MTC and affiliate trades unions showed up at a hearing on another wage survey and testified in support of moving wage scales to the Boston area. They provided data showing statistics of their members from New Hampshire and Maine traveling into Boston for work every day due to the difference in pay. Unions also brought data from members surveys about their housing costs and distances they commute to work

“Over the next two years, we continued to push. We called our Congressional representatives and leaders who have the power to effect change, showed up at their offices, and took every opportunity to make sure they understood that our wage system was broken and this was the first step to fixing it,” Schaeffer said. "Then in 2024, when it came time for the next wage survey, we tried again and we pushed even harder. We put continued pressure on our congressional delegation when we were once again denied the change in our wage area.”

Finally, after union members left hundreds of comments, the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee was assigned to do a study and provide a recommendation to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Schaeffer said MTC worked with their labor partners on the committee to ensure they had the appropriate information to make a full and detailed recommendation. Then in 2025, after all that work, OPM published the proposed wage scale change, with a suggestion for implementation for October of 2026.

“Our workers showed up and left hundreds of comments indicating the vital need to implement as soon as possible," said Schaeffer. "And we won! This victory took persistence, unity, and the belief that our fight was worth it.”