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Forty-five IBEW Local 98 members employed as marine electricians and in production and maintenance at the shipyard are covered by the new contract. The pact, which runs through December 2006, covers some 900 employees and that number is expected to grow substantially as production picks up at the yard, said IBEW Local 98 Business Manager John Dougherty.

"This is an excellent contractone of the best shipbuilding agreements," said Local 98 Business Representative Phil Rowan. "It sets a precedent for the country in the multi-skill U.S. maritime trades." Rowan, and Local 98 stewards Wilhelmina Monroe and Evan Konrad, represented the IBEW on the negotiating committee.

The chief negotiator for the union bargaining team described the contract as "a good agreement for both parties." Ron Ault of the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department said the wage package "puts Kvaerner at the top of the scale in shipbuilding."

Ault praised Kvaerners "willingness to reach out and address the needs of its workers." He said, "They understand workers and their unions much better than many U.S. companies we deal with." Kvaerner had requested an early re-opener for the Metal Trades contract in order to stabilize the yards financial projections for coming years.

Unions covered by the agreement include the IBEW, Asbestos Workers, Operating Engineers, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, Sheet Metal Workers, Machinists, Boilermakers, Carpenters, Laborers, Ironworkers, and Painters.

A global conglomerate headquartered in Norway, Kvaerner employs approximately 42,000 workers in 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. The Kvaerner Shipyard in Philadelphia began operation in 1997 on the grounds of the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

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