Several of us camped out in front of a hiring event held by General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works at the Maine Bureau of Labor's Career Center yesterday. Based on Augusta Police and Capitol Police cruising by without stopping, we were on public property. Our goal: offering information to prospective job applicants about how GD/BIW profits from its support of Israel's Gaza genocide.
Current employees of GD/BIW wore t-shirts with the slogans depicted above -- reminding potential new hires of the shipyard's culture.
BIW is a notoriously wretched place to work. Women hate it, young people hate it, and it's not difficult to see why. Still, as one young woman with the appearance of an education worker (she was carrying a tote bag with a famous children's book cover on it) told us, I need a job.
Our response: Of course, but there are so many other places you could work.
Top 5 reasons not to work at GD/BIW
#1 Genocide profiteers
One job seeker commented at our display, I did not know that General Dynamics owned Bath Iron Works.
#2 Terrible management
BIW stonewalls workers during contract negotiations and then hires outside the contract using loopholes to bring in workers from out of state.
BIW lives off taxpayers as it builds solely for the Navy, has lots of cash (in 2023 GD's CEO Phebe Novakovic was paid $22.5 million), and is indicating they are increasingly short of workers to fulfill the warship orders they've already received.
They have an online job application for a multitude of openings. It would be shame if unserious applicants were to gum up the works.
#3 Bad neighbors
From the Times Record August 13, 2024:
Bath Iron Works has withdrawn a pair of requests to rezone a section of Bath’s South End neighborhood after pushback from neighbors who want to know more about what the shipyard is planning.
BIW was looking to amend zoning for parts of the South End neighborhood because the company’s office building at 580 Washington St. is outdated and requires significant upgrades..
BIW has been acquiring real estate in the neighborhood along Washington Street as well as residential properties on Wesley, Bath and Middle streets since early 2023, according to city records.
#4 Health hazards
Any industrial job carries risks to workers' health. Former BIW tool shop worker the late Peter Woodruff developed aphasia (loss of the ability to speak) due to manganese exposure similar to the neurological problems experienced by others who worked with the substance. Woodruff was dropped by BIW's company doctor for raising the issue and lacked the deep pockets to take on GD's corporate lawyers pushing back on his claim.
#5 There are viable alternatives
The job market in Maine favors workers at the moment. That is, unemployment is low and myriad jobs working for the man (military, police, BIW) are experiencing persistent staffing shortfalls. The misnomer "best job in Maine" applied to BIW indicates that full-time jobs with benefits are rare and especially ones that offer a living wage.
What are some alternatives?
The biggest employers in Maine are public education followed by health care providers like hospitals. Both need workers of all kinds, not just folks with college degrees. Many offer union membership to protect workers' rights and to engage in collective bargaining over contracts.
Paper mills still exist, like SAPPI in Waterville. Jobs there include ongoing education at your employer's expense.
