Jacob is a member of Boilermakers Local 19, writing in a personal capacity.

When billionaires wage imperialist wars, there are no winners among the working class. I took up employment as a union shipbuilding apprentice two years ago, honing my skills constructing maritime training vessels, dredging vessels, and cargo ships. In late 2024 though, Hanwha Ocean, a major shipbuilder with a significant defense arm, purchased the yard and later committed $5 billion to expand capacity as part of Trump’s tariff deal with South Korea. Sure enough, in April, the shipyard announced its first military contract, a vessel designed to re-fuel, re-supply, and re-arm combat vessels. In shipbuilding, it’s called “going grey” when a company begins building for the military, a reference to the grey color of military vessels—and many of us workers don’t want it.

Hanwha is investing $140 billion in US manufacturing, which, with the continued worldwide escalation of war, is sure to mean expanding military manufacturing. So far they also have plans for a munitions plant in Arkansas.

While some coworkers rejoiced at the yard’s new ownership, which came with several new contracts and a near-guarantee of steady employment for some time, others have deep reservations. My coworkers and I absolutely need work. And the world needs more ships for installing wind turbines, moving people and goods, and providing other services that make our societies function. What we do not need is to support war efforts that don’t serve the needs of working people. 

Under capitalism, it always seems like we’re at the mercy of our bosses. But as part of a union, we have a collective voice. The union should decisively reject “going grey” and demand civilian-only contracts. Unfortunately, union leadership is likely to resist this, focusing instead on the jobs Hanwha promises and avoiding conflict at all costs. This ignores the annihilation of workers and the environment abroad, and the price we pay for war at home.

Solidarity means recognizing that the workers of Cuba, Iran, Palestine, and so forth have far more in common with us than the bosses who profit. The labor movement must take action accordingly or risk weakening the global working class against the oppressive capitalist classes. As military infrastructure in the US expands, those of us working in the field are uniquely positioned to organize strikes, workplace actions, and other efforts to bring the war machine to a grinding halt. This begins with anti-war industrial workers like us, across the country, making the case to our coworkers to fight for our unions to oppose the drive towards war (see here for a template anti-war union resolution.)