Portland and Seattle shipyard workers approved a new union contract May 14.
The agreement between Vigor Industrial and the Portland and Puget Sound metal trades councils raises workers’ total hourly compensation by $1.49 retroactive to Dec. 1, 2024; $1.79 in December 2025; and $1.86 in December 2026. Journeymen will now start at $51.25 in total compensation, which includes around $36 to $40 in direct wages for most unions in the contract.
Workers also got a $750 bonus at ratification and will get $500 checks in September 2026 and September 2027. Those bonuses were negotiated to offset the increase in healthcare costs, which will use up some of the annual raises. Over three years, the bonuses work out to an additional $0.28 per hour.
The new contract also increases premium pay for swing shift and hazardous work and for supervisors and workers with specific licenses or certifications.
The road to ratification was rocky. On April 16, workers at both shipyards voted 96% to authorize a strike. The Metal Trades Council of Portland and Vicinity and Puget Sound Metal Trades Council are the coalitions of unions representing more than 800 Vigor workers. Scott Oldham, vice president of the Portland Metal Trades council, said the plan was to take workers out on strike on April 23. But to go out on strike, the local metal trades councils needed approval from the executive council of the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department. That approval never came.
Oldham said local leaders were looking into what happened to ensure it never happens again — and ensure “that the members’ voices will always be heard.”
Puget Sound Metal Trades Council vice president Steve Miller said both councils ultimately decided that it wasn’t the right time to go on strike.
Miller and Oldham declined to comment further about the blocked strike and the Metal Trades Department did not respond to questions. The two organizations also declined to share what percentage of workers voted in favor of the new contract beyond the simple majority required for approval.
Miller did say that the threat of a strike got Vigor to agree to a better contract.
“There was a very serious threat of a strike. Both councils and the membership were willing and ready, and Vigor knew it,” Miller said.
Oldham agreed the threat of a work stoppage helped in bargaining and said he thinks they could have gotten a stronger contract if workers went out on strike.
“The sad part about this whole thing was that this is the first time a member-driven campaign has happened in probably 30 years,” Oldham said.
The new agreement runs through Nov. 30, 2027.
