Global engineering and defense technologies provider Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) was notified recently that United Steelworker members at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division voted in favor of a new labor contract. The new contract took effect on March 8, 2022, and will run through Feb. 7, 2027.
“We worked diligently with our union partners to reach a fair agreement and are pleased that the new contract continues to provide the pay and benefits that our union employees expect,” Susan Jacobs Newport News’ vice president of human resources and administration, said in a prepared statement. “This offer maintains our competitiveness in the shipbuilding industry and our flexibility to respond to our Navy customer’s needs. I applaud the efforts of all those involved in reaching this agreement and am pleased we continued our Navy shipbuilding requirements throughout the process.”
Some key provisions of the new agreement include the following:
• General wage increases and bonuses over the term, the proposed agreement contains over $18,700 in new wages and $4,000 in lump sum bonuses based on a 40-hour week, not counting overtime and other wage premiums. The proposed agreement increases wages by an average of $3.27 per hour, or 11.75%, for all pay grades over the proposed term.
• Wage increases for all classifications are as follows: Feb. 7, 2022: 3.5% general increase ($0.93 average more per hour), Feb. 6, 2023: $2,000 lump sum, Feb. 5, 2024: 2.25% general increase ($0.62 average more per hour), Feb. 3, 2025: 3% general increase ($0.85 average more per hour), and Feb. 2, 2026: 3% general increase ($0.87 average more per hour).
• Essential Personnel Appreciation Bonus All bargaining unit employees who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (not including booster shots) will receive a $2,000 bonus paid with 14 days of contract ratification. All bargaining unit employees who are not fully vaccinated will receive a $1,500 bonus paid within 14 days of contract ratification. If unvaccinated employees become fully vaccinated within five weeks of contract ratification, they will receive an additional $500 bonus. More details of the contract are available here.
HII is a global engineering and defense technologies provider. With a 135-year history of partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics.
