UAW Marine Drafters Ratify Contract, Locking in Major Gains

Groton, CT—After an unprecedented contract campaign, UAW Local 571 members have ratified a new contract with General Dynamics – Electric Boat. Members voted by 85% to ratify the new agreement.

During the campaign, the local leadership rejected closed-door bargaining, and instead regularly updated their membership on negotiations. Union members built a new network of over 100 strike captains, and signed up 2,200 members, or more than 90% of the bargaining unit, for picket duty — mounting a serious threat of a strike.

The member-driven campaign resulted in major gains for members of the Marine Draftsmen Association (MDA). The five-year agreement, covering more than 2,400 workers in Groton who design our nation’s nuclear submarines, secures a 30% wage increase over the life of the agreement and an improved wage progression. In total, MDA-UAW members will see a cumulative $115,000 per-member increase in total compensation during the agreement.

“We did negotiations differently this time,” said Bill Louis, the President of Local 571. “Our members worked hard and got involved in our campaign. After more than a decade of ‘living to fight another day,’ we finally stood up and won the respect that all workers deserve.”

“I want to congratulate the members of MDA-UAW,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla. “They showed that you don’t need to play by management’s rules. When union members get involved in the bargaining process, we win contracts that raise the standard for the entire working class.”