Nearly 600 new jobs are expected at Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Bath, ME by year’s end, say shipyard officials in a recent Kennebec Journal article. BIW will also be launching an on-site training facility to help tailor those workers’ skills.
The expected hiring spree is in response to BIW contracts to build six destroyers for the U.S. Navy – three DDG-51 Arleigh Burkes and three DDG-1000 Zumwalts.
Shipyard officials say they will be hiring a broad range of skilled workers, including electricians, pipe fitters, outside machinists, welders and tinsmiths, as well as electrical, structural and mechanical engineers.
BIW is home to more than 3,400 IAM District 4, Local S6 members.
The expected hires will bring the shipyard’s workforce to nearly 6,000 – its highest since 2004.
“The IAM helped make these contracts a reality by working to ensure the critical funding needed to maintain the Navy’s readiness and securing good jobs that build and grow communities,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Lynn D. Tucker, Jr. “The thousands of men and women who work in the Bath shipyard are among the best shipbuilders in the world. Who better to train future workers and pass on the necessary skills to build the finest ships in the world.”
