Shipyard managers in the U.S. state of Maine offered workers extra pay to encourage them to attend a speech by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to workers at the facility. Hegseth toured Bath Iron Works and delivered a speech near a Trump-class destroyer under construction, which was recently announced, according to the Bangor Daily News. However, when managers asked workers to volunteer to attend the speech, only a few raised their hands, according to a worker who spoke with The Intercept on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation. The Secretary of Defense delivered the speech on Monday afternoon, shortly before a shift change, meaning workers who attended the speech had to stay past their regular working hours. Attendees were also asked to remain until the event concluded. One worker said, 'They put out a survey in the morning to see who would attend, at least from my crew, and there wasn't even a mention of overtime pay.' The worker, who felt management was trying to entice people to show up, added, 'I don't know if this is always the case, trying to bribe people for a bigger turnout, or if the union leadership objected, saying they can't force us to stay past our shift without paying us.' He added, 'This company doesn't pay for anything they don't explicitly have to pay for.' A spokesperson for the local workers' union, Devin Ragnar, confirmed that anyone who attended the speech after their shift would receive extra pay but refused to discuss how the arrangement was made. Workers said that factory officials explicitly stated that workers would receive extra pay if they stayed past their official working hours. Another worker, who also spoke with The Intercept on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation, expressed fear of an impending headache that Hegseth's visit would cause, echoing the strangeness of offering overtime pay. The second worker said, 'I'm sure it will disrupt the workday, which is ridiculous because we're always being harassed about productivity and efficiency, and it will create a lot of discussions I don't want to listen to all day.' He added, 'I was also angry because there are many other reasons we don't get paid time off, like snowstorms, events that happen during work hours that aren't work-related, and so on, but they're offering to pay us extra for this.' Hegseth has made his speeches a top priority since becoming Secretary of Defense, including a speech in which he criticized 'fat' generals, and later ordered the entire U.S. military to watch the speech. Hegseth told the shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works that the Trump administration is working quickly to build a stronger U.S. military. He thanked the workers for building ships that help keep the forces safe. He said, 'You are the men and women who dedicate your lives and skills to building these ships, which allow us to show a strength that exceeds the standards of any ships anywhere in the world.' Representatives of Bath Iron Works did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, also declined to comment, but a factory spokesperson, Joel Valdez, said, 'We haven't announced any special arrangements for the minister's visit, and we don't have anything to add at this time.' Protesters gathered before and after U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech outside the shipyard gates, holding signs in protest of Hegseth's visit. They refused to speak to reporters but carried signs that read: 'Your one job: follow the Constitution,' 'I have sworn not to disobey unlawful orders,' 'Together we are America.' Hegseth delivered the speech near a Trump-class destroyer under construction.
