Seafarers employed in the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock (GLDD) hopper dredge division recently ratified a three-year contract that substantially increases wages, maintains benefits, and includes other gains.
Voting took place aboard the vessels, and a large majority of rank-and-file members approved the new agreement, which covers nearly 140 Seafarers. Bargaining sessions were conducted in Houston earlier this year (one each in January and February).
The SIU negotiating committee consisted of Vice President Contracts George Tricker, Assistant Vice President Mike Russo, AB Billy Born, Chief Engineer Jeff McCranie, Capt. Alex Penzi, and AB Clayton Stanley Byrd.
Representing the company were executives Chris Roberts, George Strawn, James Walker, and Robert Worrell.
The pact maintains top-of-the-line medical coverage, calls for yearly wage increases, and boosts pension benefits. It also maintains vacation benefits along with access to the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, located in Piney Point, Maryland.
“As a result of member input, the committee drafted a proposal reflecting the desires of a majority of rank-and-file members,” stated Tricker, who pointed out that ratification followed a pair of 60-day extensions of the previous contract. “I’m confident we addressed every issue, and that is reflected by a sizeable majority voting in favor of the new contract. I extend special thanks to Mike Russo for his work, and I also appreciate the time invested by all of our delegates.” Russo said, “Everybody stuck together, and that’s how we achieved a hard-fought agreement. This is a fair contract, and it’s worth noting that we had no givebacks. Credit to George for doing a great job leading our committee. Thanks also to (SIU Norfolk Port Agent) Mario Torrey and SIU Houston Patrolman) Kelly Krick for their work during the ratification.”
Asked to identify what he considers highlights of the contract, McCranie replied, “Health care, retirement, and money in the pocket. Those were the three basic things that everybody wanted, so the majority of the crews should be happy with the final result.”
McCranie, a frequent upgrader at the Paul Hall Center, also said he appreciated the fleet receiving balanced representation of its various components (different dredges, ratings, and shipboard departments) during negotiations.
“This contract shows that a union representing licensed and unlicensed mariners can work together for the improvement of all its members,” he said.
Born stated, “All in all, I think it was fair for both parties. We had a really good group of guys on the committee, and we didn’t lose anything.”
He said highlights include the pay increase, a more efficient path for progressing from oiler to QMED, and the pension increase that brings all of the crews on the same scale.
Byrd said the negotiations “went really well. All the delegates had a lot of input, and George was really enthused about what we had to say. I felt like he took our input seriously, and the delegates did all we could do. I also appreciate all that Christ Roberts, George Strawn, Jimmy Walker, and Robert Worrell did.”
GLDD, headquartered in Houston, is self-described as “the largest provider of dredging services in the United States” and “has a long history of performing significant international projects. We own and operate the largest and most diverse fleet in the U.S. dredging industry, comprising approximately 200 specialized vessels. In 2021, Great Lakes formed our Offshore Wind sector – a strategic growth area for the company.”
Its areas of operation include New York; Miami; Jacksonville, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia, and more.
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