Metal trades unions at Vigor have terminated their contract extension, paving the way for a strike.
Roughly 800 workers at the ship building and repair company’s Portland and Seattle shipyards are represented by nine union locals through the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department.
The Metal Trades Council’s last contract expired Nov. 30, 2024, but the unions and Vigor agreed to a contract extension. The contract included a no-strike clause, so the unions notified Vigor that they were terminating the contract extension on April 8. A strike could happen as soon as April 22, Portland Metal Trades Council President Ben Heurung said.
Workers rallied outside both shipyards for practice pickets on April 1 and April 8.
On April 16, workers at both shipyards voted 96% to authorize a strike.
The following day, workers voted on Vigor’s latest contract offer. Between the two shipyards, 97% voted no on the contract.
Officially the strike would be an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike, which is why the unions said they’re hosting the two votes separately. The Metal Trades Council said it has filed ULP charges against Vigor for bad faith bargaining.
Vigor’s latest compensation increase offer is 3% in year one, 2.75% in year two, and 3% in year three. Total compensation is currently $49.76 per hour for the base level of journey worker, but that includes contributions to health, retirement, and training benefits that vary between unions, and journey wages can be as low as roughly $26 per hour. Vigor’s latest offer would bring total compensation to $54.24 per hour by the end of the contract.
“I definitely think we’re worth more than what they’re trying to give us,” said Erick Wilkeson, a third-generation shipyard worker and IBEW Local 48 member at the Portland shipyard. Wilkeson said Vigor intentionally understaffs operations. Members work fast and get the job done, Wilkeson said, but it isn’t sustainable. “That puts a lot more wear and tear on people,” he said.
Vigor’s latest offer is an improvement from the start of 2025, when the company was offering raises averaging around 1.9% per year over the three-year contract. The 2022 to 2024 contract gave raises of around 2.8% each year.
The unions and Vigor were set to start mediation on April 2. But a week before, the Trump administration effectively shut down the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which provides mediators to help workers and employers resolve bargaining disputes. The unions and Vigor continued bargaining without a mediator.
Heurung said the unions were taking the latest proposal to a vote because Vigor is ignoring the unions’ asks and members are upset about how long negotiations are taking.
“We feel it’s in our best interest to allow the members to vote on what the company is currently offering, so they can understand that it is not sufficient and will not meet the needs of the members at this time,” Heurung said.
As a union brat and wife of a shipyard worker, I have seen the latest contract offer. It is not worth the paper it is written on. The contract should be close to what other yards are making in the area and there are things these men and women should have restored that was taken way years ago no fault of their own doing. GET RID OF THE MASTER AGREEMENT AND GIVE SENIORITY TO ALL.