BATH, Maine — Bath Iron Works employees have done such a good job getting caught up on the Navy’s shipbuilding schedule that they’re getting Christmas Eve off.
The extra holiday is a reward for getting the future USS Daniel Inouye ready for sea trials on Dec. 15, getting fabrication on schedule and accelerating the pre-outfit department’s shipbuilding rate to 1.5 ships per year by year’s end.
The COVID-19 pandemic and a two-month strike over the summer worsened existing delays in delivering ships to the Navy.
The company and its largest union are working with a federal mediator to get back on track.