Coalitions of unions in Portland and Seattle began bargaining Oct. 11 for a new master labor agreement covering over a thousand shipyard workers in Portland and Seattle. The current three-year agreement between shipyard operator Vigor Industrial and the Portland and Puget Sound metal trades councils expires Nov. 30. And for the second time in a row, union leaders will be bargaining with a new CEO and new ownership.
“It’s going to be a very interesting negotiation this time. That I can guarantee,” said Portland Building Trades President Ben Heurung.
In October 2019, the private equity firms Carlyle Group and Stellex joined forces and bought Portland-based Vigor Industrial and Virginia ship repair company MHI Holdings, combining them to form a new company, Titan Acquisition Holdings. Then in June 2023, they sold Titan Acquisition Holdings to another private equity firm, Lone Star. Lone Star was founded by Boston billionaire John Grayken, the world’s 454th richest person according to Forbes. Grayken renounced his U.S. citizenship for tax purposes in the 1990s, took on Irish citizenship, and now lives in London.
Customers of Titan and its subsidiary Vigor include the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army, Military Sealift Command, Maritime Administration, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, cruise lines, commercial ship owners, fishing fleets, barges, and ferry services for local and state governments.
On Sept. 12, 2024, Vigor announced that its CEO Jim “Marco” Marcotuli is retiring after five years, to be replaced by Francesco Valente, who has led U.S. operations of the arms manufacturer Beretta since 2019.
The Metal Trades Council is a coalition of 10 craft unions: In Portland, that includes Boilermakers Local 104, Insulators Local 36, IBEW Local 48, Laborers Local 737, Machinists District Lodge W24, Operating Engineers Local 701, Painters District Council 5, Plumbers and Fitters Local 290, Sheet Metal Workers Local 16, and Teamsters Local 162.
