NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Shipbuilding and United Steelworkers union reached a tentative labor deal, according to a union spokesperson Sunday.
The agreement, with NNS parent company Huntington Ingalls Industries, comes as the current contract is scheduled to expire midnight on Sunday, November 14.
According to a release, the proposed 5-year-deal "would enhance wages, improve pension, curb health care costs and bolster promotional opportunities in lower job categories."
Union members were briefed on the deal Sunday afternoon during a members-only meeting in Hampton, wrote a union spokesperson.
USW Local 8888 represents more than 10,000 workers at Newport News Shipbuilding, and union members will hold a ballot vote on the proposal on Tuesday.
Huntington Ingalls Industries spokesperson Duane Bourne said, "We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the United Steelworkers. The union vote with eligible employees is expected to take place soon; meanwhile, our workforce will continue working under a contract extension during the voting process."
A deal between the two parties is important to national security because the shipyard is the world's only maker of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and, one of only two yards in the country that build Virginia and Columbia Class submarines for the Navy.