Thousands of unionized machinists are on strike at aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney’s plants in Connecticut.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) voted down a proposed contract put forward by the company at a meeting on Sunday, saying it failed to address their concerns about wages, retirement benefits, and job security. Because the previous contract between Pratt and the union had lapsed, the membership was implicitly agreeing to a strike, the first such action against Pratt since 2001.
The strike officially began at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, and since then the machinists have been picketing outside the company’s facilities in East Hartford and Middletown.
The IAM said 3,000 workers from Locals 700 and 1746 are participating in the work stoppage.
“Pratt & Whitney is a powerhouse in military and commercial aerospace products because our membership makes it so,” said David Sullivan, general vice president of the IAM’s eastern territory. “This offer does not address the membership concerns, and the membership made their decision—we will continue to fight for a fair contract.”
According to Defense News, workers on the picket line said they are afraid Pratt & Whitney will move jobs out of the state to Georgia, and that is why they are pressing for guarantees of job security.
In a statement, Pratt said the offer it extended to workers is fair and competitive.
“Our message to union leaders throughout this thoughtful process has been simple: higher pay, better retirement savings, more days off and more flexibility,” the company said. “We have no immediate plans to resume negotiations at this time and we have contingency plans in place to maintain operations and to meet our customer commitments.”
Pratt, which has its headquarters in East Hartford, is a subsidiary of RTX Corp., formerly known as Raytheon Technologies. It manufactures engines for military and commercial aircraft, including the GTF for Airbus commercial jets and the F135 for the Lockheed Martin F-35.
Engine Troubles Could Worsen
The company has faced scrutiny for problems with the make and durability of its engines. In 2023, it issued a product recall affecting thousands of aircraft powerplants over contaminated metals that could cause cracking over time. A large number of Pratt-powered aircraft have been grounded in the years since as the company inspects its engines for defects.
Several U.S. airlines have been impacted by the recall, including JetBlue, Spirit, Frontier, and Hawaiian. Also affected are the international carriers All Nippon, Cebu Pacific, IndiGo, Wizz, and Volaris, among others.
It is possible the strike could delay or even halt the company’s recall and inspection work, though that will ultimately depend on how long the walkout lasts.
Pratt is one of the largest private employers in Connecticut, and many employees and state leaders have long feared it will eventually move jobs and manufacturing out of the state due to high costs. For that reason, negotiations between Pratt and its workforce are being watched closely by elected officials.
On Sunday, shortly before the strike began, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont released a statement calling on both sides to “come together to reach a fair deal that is negotiated in good faith.”
