BAE Systems' labour practices criticised following worker death

US Senator Bernie Sanders has accused BAE Systems of engaging in "illegal union-busting" and maintaining unsafe working conditions at its Jacksonville shipyard following the death of an employee and the laying off of nearly 200 workers.

In a letter to BAE Systems President and CEO Tom Arseneault, Sanders urged the company to allow workers to organise with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and alleged employees faced hazardous conditions, including extreme temperatures and inadequate ventilation.

Referring to the death of Anthony Elrod in May, Sanders said workers had described the incident as a "preventable workplace disaster". He also criticised the company’s workforce reductions, noting BAE generated more than USD 2.7 billion in profit last year while receiving substantial US government contracts.

Responding to the allegations, Arseneault rejected claims that the layoffs were linked to union activity and reaffirmed the company's support for collective bargaining. "We fully support our employees' right to engage in collective bargaining," he wrote, adding that BAE maintains longstanding relationships with unionised employees across its operations.

Addressing the fatality, Arseneault said the company was "grief stricken" by the loss and disputed several of Sanders' assertions. "A number of the claims you made are inaccurate, and we are concerned that drawing conclusions at this stage, while the investigation continues, does a disservice to the people involved with this tragic accident," he stated.

BAE said it is conducting a thorough investigation and cooperating with regulatory authorities, while maintaining that safety remains its top priority.

The Jacksonville layoffs represent almost a quarter of the yard’s approximately 900 employees. BAE said the reductions were made to align staffing levels with expected workload through the end of the year.