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45-510: Bath Iron Works was incorporated in 1884 by General Thomas W. Hyde , a native of Bath who served in the American Civil War . After the war, he bought a shop that made windlasses and other iron hardware for the wooden ships built in Bath's many shipyards. He expanded the business by improving its practices, entering new markets, and acquiring other local businesses. By 1882, Hyde Windlass was eyeing

90-843: A state senator from Maine , and the founder of the Bath Iron Works , one of the major shipyards in the United States . He wrote two books about his experiences during the American Civil War and at the Battle of Gettysburg . Born in Florence , Italy , to Zina and Eleanor Hyde, natives of Bath , Maine , Hyde graduated from Bowdoin College in 1861 and then from the Old University of Chicago , now Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law . Hyde began his Union Army service on April 2, 1861, as

135-607: A Major in the 7th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment . On February 26, 1863, he became Assistant Inspector General of the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac , which was commanded by Major General William F. "Baldy" Smith . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on December 1, 1863. In 1864, he became Provost Marshal General of the Sixth Corps. On September 24, 1864, Hyde transferred to

180-474: A brevet Brigadier General of volunteers to rank from April 2, 1865 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the appointment on March 12, 1866. On February 17, 1869, President Johnson nominated Hyde for the brevet grade of Major General of volunteers, to rank from April 2, 1865, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the appointment on March 3, 1869, one of the last brevet Major General awards for Civil War service. Starting in 1873, Hyde served three terms in

225-773: A color bar, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) did not accept IAM right away. After IAM finally did join the AFL, AFL President Samuel Gompers urged IAM to drop its whites-only rule. But IAM maintained racial segregation, arguing that it needed to retain Southern members. Talbot wanted the union to be a fraternity of white men born in the United States who possessed good moral character. His sentiments were echoed by other AFL member unions, whose locals routinely discriminated against black workers through racial exclusion policies, which

270-532: A high of 927,000 in 1973. Also, in 1982 boycott was initiated by the IAM against Brown & Sharpe , a machine, precision, measuring and cutting tool manufacturer, headquartered in Rhode Island . The boycott was called after the firm refused to bargain in good faith (withdrawing previously negotiated clauses in the contract), and forced the union into a strike, during which police sprayed pepper gas on some 800 picketers at

315-473: A modern way. In 1964, IAM changed its name to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. IAMAW began to strike against five major airlines, including Eastern, National, Northwest, Trans World, and United Airlines . 35,400 IAMAW members in 231 cities grounded the airlines for 43 days finally winning 5 percent raises in three successive years. IAM membership nearly doubled in

360-772: A sloping way so that they could slide into the Kennebec at launch. Hulls are now moved by rail from the platform horizontally onto a moveable dry dock, which greatly reduced the work involved in building and launching the ships. The 750-foot (230 m), 28,000-ton dry dock was built by China's Jiangdu Yuchai Shipbuilding Company for $ 27 million and shipped all the way from China to Bath. In 2015, Bath Iron Works signed contracts with US Navy to build new Arleigh Burke -class destroyers , as well as to conduct maintenance sustainment support of Independence -class littoral combat ships built by competitor Austal USA . The shipyard delivered USS  Rafael Peralta and USS  Thomas Hudner and

405-460: A strong body of the enemy's infantry and kept up the fight until the greater part of his men had been killed or wounded, bringing the remainder safely out of the fight. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ( IAM ) is an AFL–CIO / CLC trade union representing over 600,000 workers as of 2024 in more than 200 industries with most of its membership in

450-467: Is working on USS  Daniel Inouye and USS  Carl M. Levin . The DDG block buy for Bath also includes USS  John Basilone , USS  Harvey C. Barnum Jr. , and USS  Louis H. Wilson Jr. . On March 27, Bath received a $ 610.4 million contract modification to build John Basilone . This ship was funded in the 2015 defense appropriations act. In 2016, Dirk Lesko became president of Bath Iron Works. In 2020, 4,300 workers, all members of

495-711: The 1st Maine Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was promoted to Colonel on October 22, 1864. Hyde commanded Brigade 3, Division 2, VI Corps of the Army of the Shenandoah between October 30, 1864, and December 6, 1864, and the same brigade in the Army of the Potomac from December 6, 1864 (when the Army of the Shenandoah returned from its detached duty to the Army of the Potomac) until June 28, 1865. Despite this service, Hyde did not receive promotion to full rank brigadier general. While serving under Major General John Sedgwick early in

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540-501: The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers , voted to go on strike after the company and the union failed to agree to new labor contracts. The shipbuilders eventually agreed to a 3-year pact and returned to work after 63 days of strike. Lesko resigned unexpectedly on April 7, 2022, the same day the union local announced that it had come to an agreement with the shipyard. On May 5, 2022, Charles F. Krugh

585-526: The Maine Senate , including two as president. He became mayor of Bath, Maine in 1878. In 1884, he founded Bath Iron Works and became general manager of it in 1888. Since it was founded, the shipyard has executed more than 425 shipbuilding contracts, including 245 for the U.S. Navy. In 1894, he was named president of the Boston Elevated Railway Company. Hyde wrote the books Following

630-552: The automotive industry and with the United Aerospace Workers for aircraft working in that union. In 1949, IAM signed no-raiding agreements with both unions. Those agreements become the model for other unions when AFL and the CIO merged in 1955. The 1950s was a period of rapid growth for IAM. The production of jet engines during the war led IAM to expand to the aircraft industry. By 1958, IAM had more than 900,000 members. This

675-474: The 1890s, the company built several yachts for wealthy sailors. In 1899, Hyde was suffering from Bright's Disease and resigned from management of the shipyard, leaving his sons Edward and John in charge. The shipyard began construction of Georgia that same year, the only battleship ever built in Bath. It dominated the yard for five years until its launching in 1904, and was at times the only ship under construction. The yard faced numerous challenges because of

720-446: The 1950s, in large part due to the burgeoning airline industry, from 501,000 members in 1949 to 903,000 members in 1958. As a result of the influx of members from the airlines and the new American space program, the delegates voted to change the name to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers at the 1964 convention. In 1982, due to individual and corporate bankruptcies IAM membership dropped to 820,211 members from

765-667: The AFL rarely commented on. World War I and wartime production drove membership in the Machinists to 300,000 in 1918, making it the country's largest union. Just five years later, membership dropped to 80,000. Amid the Great Depression, membership declined further, to 50,000—some 23,000 of whom were unemployed. In 1935, the machinists started to organize with the airline industry. In 1936, the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington , signed

810-659: The Greek Cross Or, Memories Of The Sixth Army Corps (1894) and Recollections of the Battle of Gettysburg (1898). Hyde died on November 15, 1899, at Fort Monroe, Virginia , after a short illness. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery , Bath, Maine. Rank and organization: Major, 7th Maine Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Bath, Maine. Birth: Italy. Date of issue: 8 April 1891. His citation read: Led his regiment in an assault on

855-510: The Knights of Labor, who accepted everyone, Talbot's union accepted only white US citizens, preferably native-born. The union excluded blacks, women, and non-citizens, and had secret passwords. Despite the secrecy, the order spread beyond Georgia, thanks in part to "boomers", men who traveled the railway lines for work. These boomers established local lodges in new areas. Within one year there were 40 lodges, and by 1891, there were 189. On May 6, 1889,

900-539: The Labor-Management Relations Act, which placed restrictions on union activities. This act also contained provisions that made closed shops illegal and outlawed boycotts. The second section of the Taft Hartley Act was controversial because it allowed states to pass right-to-work laws , which enabled them to regulate the number of union shops. Furthermore, the machinists worked with AFL unions to repeal

945-662: The Machinists held their first major convention in Atlanta. Talbot was elected the Grand Master Machinist (later known as the international president), and William L. Dawley was elected as Grand Secretary (now known as General Secretary-Treasurer). The Organization's name was changed to the National Association of Machinists (NAM) and a constitution was drawn up. The NAM began publishing the 16-page Machinists Monthly Journal . Also in 1889, Frank French designed an emblem for

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990-492: The Outfit Fabrication facility is responsible for the production of non-structural parts and assemblies more efficient to build on the shop floor, and later ship into the main yard. 43°54′16″N 69°48′53″W  /  43.904494°N 69.814746°W  / 43.904494; -69.814746 Thomas W. Hyde Thomas Worcester Hyde (January 16, 1841 – December 14, 1899) was an American Union Army colonel,

1035-658: The United States and Canada. On May 5, 1888, Thomas W. Talbot , a railroad machinist in Atlanta , Georgia , founded the Order of United Machinists and Mechanical Engineers. Talbot and 18 others had been members in the Knights of Labor . Talbot believed that a union needed to be formed for railroad machinists that would resist wage cuts. He wanted to provide insurance against unemployment, illness, and accidents but also wanted railroad machinists to be recognized for their craft skill. Unlike

1080-602: The act. The limitations imposed on union political activity by this act led to the creation of the Machinists' Non-Partisan Political League. In 1948, Lodge 751 went on strike against the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington. The machinists preserved longstanding seniority rules that the company wanted to abolish and achieved a 10 percent per hour raise. IAM also competed for members with the United Auto Workers of America in

1125-430: The company's North Kingston plant in early 1982. Three weeks later, a machinist narrowly escaped serious injury when a shot fired into the picket line hit his belt buckle. The National Labor Relations Board later charged Brown & Sharpe with regressive bargaining, and of entering into negotiations with the express purpose of not reaching an agreement with the union. It was not until 1998, nearly seventeen years after

1170-480: The first half of the century. These included Vanda , Hi-Esmaro , Aras I and Aras II , Caroline , and Corsair IV , which later served as a cruise ship before sinking off Acapulco , Mexico in 1949. The shipyard was at peak production during World War II (1943–1944), launching a destroyer every 17 days. Bath Iron Works ranked 50th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. In 1981, Falcon Transport ordered two tankers,

1215-577: The first international members. Locals were also formed in Mexico . To reflect this, in 1891 the name was changed from National Association of Machinists to International Association of Machinists (IAM), at a conference in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . In 1892, IAM signed a contract with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , establishing the first organized shop at a railroad in the United States. Because IAM had

1260-411: The industry's first labor agreement. By 1938, the IAM negotiated the first union agreement in air transportation with Eastern Air Lines . In 1944, IAM union members established an education department to publish a supplemental journal. Initially published weekly by The Machinist, the IAM newspaper, the journal's production was eventually reduced to twice a year, then voted out of existence in 1956. It

1305-459: The last commercial vessels built by BIW. USS  Samuel B. Roberts was commissioned at Bath in 1986. It survived a mine explosion which tore a hole in its engine room and flooded two compartments. Over the next two years, BIW repaired the ship in unique fashion. The guided missile frigate was towed to the company's dry dock in Portland, Maine , and put up on blocks, where the damaged engine room

1350-468: The main yard. The neighboring city of Brunswick, Maine, Contains the most Bath Iron Works offsite facilities of any single municipality. • Structural Fabrication • Built in 1940 under the name "Harding's Plant", the Structural Fabrication facility is among the largest outside of the main yard. • Outfit Fabrication • Previously known as "East Brunswick Manufacturing Facility (EBMF)",

1395-516: The new and growing business of iron shipbuilding, and it incorporated as Bath Iron Works in 1884. On February 28, 1890, BIW won its first contract for complete vessels: two iron gunboats for the Navy. One of these 190-foot (58 m) ships was the Machias , the first ship launched by the company. In 1892, the yard won its first commercial contract for the 2,500-ton steel passenger steamer City of Lowell . In

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1440-532: The strike began, that the Rhode Island Supreme Court ended the legal battle, ultimately siding with Brown & Sharpe in its plea that it had not illegally forced the strike. By this point, both Brown & Sharpe and its erstwhile work force were retreating from manufacturing in Rhode Island. From 1981 to 1990 the union owned and operated an Indy Car racing team, Machinists Union Racing . In 1991,

1485-521: The total membership. IAM contracts also cover some non-members, known as agency fee payers, which since 2005 have grown to number comparatively just over 1 percent of the size of the union's membership. As of 2013, this accounts for about 145,000 "retirees" (25 percent), 52,000 "life" members (9 percent), 26,000 "exempt" members (5 percent), and 14,000 "unemployed" members (2 percent), plus about 7,000 non-members paying agency fees, compared to about 333,000 dues paying" members (58 percent). The association

1530-513: The union absorbed the Pattern Makers' League of North America . The Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) merged with the IAM, after a TCU member vote in July 2005. On September 7, 2008, the union began a 57-day strike against Boeing over issues with outsourcing, job security , pay and benefits. The union continues to expand into different companies today. In December 2013

1575-418: The union members. On September 12, 2024, IAM District 751 voted to strike against Boeing over a proposed contract's pay and benefits with 94.6% of votes in and 96% in favor of a strike. The union leadership had reached a tentative agreement with Boeing prior to the vote and endorsed the contract. According to IAM's Department of Labor records, since 2005, when membership classifications were first reported,

1620-732: The union's attempt to represent workers at an Amazon.com fulfillment center in Middletown, Delaware , failed. In 2020, the union began a strike at Bath Iron Works , a major shipyard in Bath, Maine , over disagreements regarding a new labor contract with the company. The strike, occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic , was described by the IAM President as "the largest strike in the United States of America right now.” The strike ended after two months, with new labor contract agreements viewed as favorable to

1665-417: The union's membership has been generally in a slow decline, including "dues paying", "retired", and "exempt" members. Despite this, "life" members were reported to have had a 22 percent increase during this period, and "unemployed" members momentarily increased to a peak in 2009, before also declining. Members classified as "on strike" have varied considerably throughout, although remaining less than 1 percent of

1710-430: The union. The emblem consisted of a flywheel, a friction joint caliper, and a machinist's square with the initials of the organization. According to French, the flywheel represented the ongoing power of the union once it started, and the caliper signified an extended invitation to all persons of civilized countries. The square signified that IAM was square and honest. In 1890 and 1891, NAM reached Canada, making Canadians

1755-615: The war, Hyde was present at several key Civil War battles, including the Second Battle of Bull Run , the Battle of Antietam (for which he later received the Medal of Honor ), and the Battle of Gettysburg. He was also present at Confederate General Robert E. Lee 's 1865 surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, Virginia . Hyde was discharged from the volunteer army on June 28, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Hyde for appointment as

1800-503: The weight of armor and weapons. In sea trials, Georgia averaged 19.26 knots (35.67 km/h; 22.16 mph) for four hours, making her the fastest ship in her class and the fastest battleship in the United States Navy at the time. The company continued to rely on Navy contracts, which provided 86-percent of the value of new contracts between 1905 and 1917. The yard also produced fishing trawlers, freighters, and yachts throughout

1845-409: Was appointed president. Bath Iron Works operates several offsite facilities in the surrounding mid-coast Maine region, their purposes range from administration to structural fabrication. • West Bath Warehouse • The facility closest to the main yard, located on 76 New Meadows Road, West Bath. Its primary responsibilities are storage and distribution of materials to other BIW facilities, primarily

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1890-443: Was because IAM took steps to begin to move away from its racist past. In 1955, under the leadership of President Al Hayes IAM became more of an industrial union; it began to shift from railroad work to metal fabrication. IAM had more union members as well as workers in the aircraft industry. Thus, Aerospace workers were attracted to join IAM. The trade union produced a first-of-its-kind radio show, Boomer Jones , to tell their history in

1935-534: Was cut out of the ship. Meanwhile, workers in Bath built a 315-ton replacement, and the module was floated south to Portland, placed on the dry dock, slid into place under the frigate, jacked up, and welded into place. In 1995, Bath Iron Works was bought by General Dynamics. In 2001, the company wrapped up a four-year effort to build the Land Level Transfer Facility, an enormous concrete platform for final assembly of its ships, instead of building them on

1980-605: Was replaced with a quarterly magazine entitled The IAMW Journal . In 1945, IAM disaffiliated with the AFL, which had failed to settle a jurisdictional dispute between IAM and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America as well as the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America . In 1947 Congress passed the Taft Hartley Act , officially known as

2025-521: Was sued in 2010 after an election of local union officers went badly. A lawsuit was brought by the officers against the union and claimed libel, defamation, and invasion of privacy. While the court ruled for the defendant, the case exposed thousands of grievances filed against the union, dubious handling of the election, and other misconduct; including using union computer equipment for viewing pornography, missing promotional items purchased with union funds, and significant mishandling of union funds. In 1980,

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