Shipbuilding Industry

Boilermaker members in the shipbuilding and marine construction sector have long built some of the finest military, merchant and specialty ships in the world. Our members contributed mightily to the war effort during WWI and WWII, building hundreds of combat and Liberty transport ships.

Today, our members work at U.S. and Canadian shipyards constructing aircraft carriers, submarines, littoral combat ships, destroyers, frigates, tankers, dry cargo ships, icebreakers, tugboats, and commercial fishing boats. In fact, this patriotic workforce may be found working anywhere, at any time, around the world performing and fulfilling their duty whenever their skills are required by either the United States Navy or the Fleet of the Canadian Royal Navy.

The Boilermakers union actively supports the Jones Act. Established in 1920 as the Merchant Marine Act, the Jones Act requires that ships transporting goods and passengers between U.S. ports be built in the United States and crewed and owned by U.S. citizens. Thousands of Boilermaker members benefit from the act’s protections.