Local S6 Members Pass Strike Sanction Vote with 99% Approval

On June 6, IAM Local S6 membership voted to pass a strike sanction vote with 99 percent voting yes. A total of 3,159 members voted with 3,111 voting YES and 33 voting NO. The measure only needed 30 percent of members to vote, but the union had a 72 percent voter turnout out of 4,404 members. In a statement, the union said the massive turnout “sends a clear message that our members are ready for this year's negotiation!”

“Our membership as a whole holds the power and we showed the company that we are ready to mobilize when the time comes. No matter how good your negotiating committee is, their strength comes from a unified membership. When the members speak as loudly as they did with this vote, it empowers the committee to bring back the best contract possible.

“Executives and directors come and go, but we the workers remain to do the hard work that sends those ships down the river. Our hands built the ships that sold to the Navy ahead of schedule and our hands will continue to carry the fate of this company decades into the future. We have a responsibility to each other and our families to do what is necessary to ensure the jobs this shipyard provides are jobs that provide dignity and a standard of living befitting THE BEST SHIPBUILDERS IN THE WORLD.”

The union is holding a Unite Our Union Solidarity Celebration on Saturday June 27, including events for kids, food trucks, raffles, a makers’ market and a “Car, Truck & Motorcycle Cruise-In.”