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Vol. 71/No. 15      April 16, 2007

 
On the Picket Line
 
Striking shipyard workers
in Mississippi fight for better pay
A strike by nearly 8,000 workers against the Northrop Grumman shipbuilding company in Pascagoula, Mississippi, is entering its fourth week. Talks between union representatives and the company on March 21 and March 27 ended with no further contract proposals.

Workers at the shipyard, who belong to 15 different unions, have voted down two contract proposals so far. According to union members walking the line, the company’s proposed wage increase of $2.50 an hour over three years is insufficient to meet the skyrocketing cost of living in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Workers are also opposed to the proposed increase in insurance payments.

Safety is also a big reason workers are striking against the company. “We all still want more money, but you’ve got people out here welding, burning your eyes on a daily basis and nobody with the company is even talking about vision [insurance] being offered,” said striker Valery Mitchell to the Mississippi Press March 26.

Louis Shelby, on the picket line in front of Northrop Grumman March 23, told reporters he is preparing for a long strike, even if it means looking for a second job. “I’m used to making do with what I have,” he said, adding that he is ready to stay out until there is a good contract offer.

—Paul Mailhot
 
 
Related articles:
1,200 coal miners strike in Illinois, Pennsylvania
Vanishing pensions: How can we fight back?  
 
 
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