From The Deckplates

BMDA’s strike ended a day after my last post.¹ This surprised a lot of people. Many expected the strike to last a lot longer, but a new tentative agreement passed by the skin of its teeth. The new contract was ratified by just 14 votes. Although there were rumors that as many as 70 crossed the digital picket line, only 10 or so actually did.² Scabs had the option to work remote, so there was no way for BMDA to know how well they were holding the line until the strike came to an end.³ In any case, BMDA arrived at a much stronger agreement. In addition to modest gains on wages and healthcare, BMDA aligned its contract expiration with their sister union at GD Electric Boat. This will give both unions a lot more leverage in 2030. Hopefully members of our Negotiating Committee are paying attention.

In Maine News

BMDA strike

• AP: Navy shipyard workers approve a contract deal with Bath Iron Works, ending weeklong strike
• Maine AFL-CIO: BMDA (UAW 3999) members ratify contract after five day strike
• Maine Morning Star: BIW draftsmen agree to new four-year contract, ending strike
• Portland Press Herald: Bath Iron Works strike ends after contract ratification

Immigration

• The Intercept: GOP megadonor Leonard Leo is bankrolling a website on the warpath against Somalis
• Portland Press Herald: Civil engineer arrested by ICE during Maine surge sues federal agents
• Portland Press Herald: Cumberland County officials vote to remove ICE from jail contract with feds
• Portland Press Herald: Frightened Lewiston Somalis feel besieged by The Maine Wire [opinion]
• Portland Press Herald: Southern Maine pastor detained by ICE, leaving a hole in his church community
• Sun Journal: Lewiston mosque alleges harassment, subject of parking and code activity

Taxes

• Beacon: IRS data shows Maine is gaining residents from so-called ‘low tax’ states
• Maine Public: Maine Democrats insert millionaires tax into new spending package
• The Times Record: What to expect in Bath’s proposed budget, up 11%

Bangor Daily News: Federal government terminates contracts with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers unions [CBS 13]

Maine Morning Star: Despite bipartisan support, two child welfare reforms unlikely to become law

Maine Public: Recent fine against lobsterman and GOP lawmaker fuels claims of political retaliation

Maine Public: What state lawmakers accomplished on housing this session

Portland Press Herald: Holy Donut workers at Portland’s Park Avenue store vote to unionize

In National News

AI

• AP: Why some workers are embracing AI while others won’t use it, according to a new Gallup poll
• The Handbasket: Refusing to accept an AI-poisoned future of journalism
• The Nation: How Silicon Valley is turning scientists into exploited gig workers
• Nature: Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real
• The Onion: Man who threw molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s home claims he was following ChatGPT recipe for risotto
• Wired: This scammer used an AI-generated MAGA girl to grift “super dumb” men

Amazon

• NLRB Edge: NLRB orders Amazon to bargain with union
• Western Edge: “Everyone is replaceable.” Death rattles Oregon Amazon facility

Federal workers

• Federal News Network: VA re-terminates AFGE contract for 300K employees, despite court order to restore it
• The Guardian: Federal workers struggle to find roles a year after Trump cuts. “I’ve applied to over 250 jobs”

Immigration

• AP: Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide
• AP: House passes a bill to protect Haitian immigrants, in slap back to the Trump administration
• BBC: French woman, 86, held by ICE after moving to US to reunite with long-lost love
• BBC: US has let in 4,499 refugees since October. All but three were South African
• The Existentialist Republic: It has begun. An ICE agent is finally being charged
• Mother Jones: Two young boys were detained by ICE. Then Ms. Rachel shared their stories
• The New York Times: Newly obtained video of Minneapolis shooting undermines ICE account
• NPR: Nearly a year after her son’s death, she learned that ICE was responsible
• NPR: She paid into Medicare for years. Trump’s immigration policy will end her coverage

JBS meatpacking strike

• Jacobin: The biggest US meatpacking strike in 40 years is still on
• Labor Notes: After three-week strike, JBS concedes to meatpacking workers

Union organizing

• The American Prospect: Union Now is America’s new strike fund
• Facing South: Unions make slight gains in South, mirroring national trends
• IAM Union: Statement on Apple’s decision to close first unionized Apple retail store

AP: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving Trump’s Cabinet after abuse of power allegations

AP: Trump promised tax relief, but polling shows most Americans still think they’re overpaying

AP: Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift

Doomsday Scenario: The mythology of Pete Hegseth

The Hill: Majority of America’s farmers say they can’t afford fertilizer in new survey

IAM Union: IAM Union reaffirms support for SHIPS for America Act, urges immediate congressional action on critical national security issue

The New York Times: White House secures foreign steel for ballroom project

NPR: Federal judge finds Trump violated free speech by ordering NPR defunded

Reuters: Trump taps veteran labor lawyer to fill out Republican NLRB majority

Reuters: US Navy Secretary Phelan fired, sources say

The Verge: Unionized ProPublica staff are on strike over AI, layoffs, and wages. The 24-hour work stoppage is the first time employees at the nonprofit have walked off the job

1. See: Andy O’Brien, “BMDA (UAW 3999) Members Ratify Contract After Five Day Strike,” Maine AFL-CIO (2026, March 30); Patrick Whittle, “Navy shipyard workers approve a contract deal with Bath Iron Works, ending weeklong strike,” AP (2026, March 28). ↩︎
2. These figures have come to me word-of-mouth from sources in BMDA. I have not examined any documents, so take these numbers with a grain of salt. ↩︎
3. BIW, “Negotiations Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association, Local 3999, UAW Updates,” news release (2026, March 25). ↩︎