About 3,000 labor union members went on strike early Monday at jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut, as negotiations over wages, retirement benefits and job security broke down.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers were picketing at manufacturing locations in East Hartford and Middletown, after about 77% of nearly 2,100 union members voted to approve their first strike since 2001, union officials said. Their contract expired late Sunday.
“Pratt and Whitney is a powerhouse in military and commercial aerospace products because our membership makes it so,” David Sullivan, the union's eastern territory vice president, said in a statement. ”This offer does not address the membership concerns, and the membership made their decision — we will continue to fight for a fair contract.”
Picketing workers lined and crossed streets near the entrances to the East Hartford and Middletown plants on a rainy Monday morning. Many of the signs said “I am on strike! against Pratt & Whitney,” while some read “Solidarity for Security” and “Together We Rise.”
Some workers said they were concerned that the company may move jobs and manufacturing out of the state to its plants in Georgia.
“These are good middle class jobs,” said union member Walter Polchlopek. “We want to keep them here. We don’t want to see this stuff outsourced.”
IAM Local 1746 President Howard Huestis said the company had not negotiated in good faith, and that the union was ready to strike for as long as it takes.
“I’m prepared to be out here until it snows,” Huestis said. “Ultimately, we want to get back to the table, because nobody wants to be out on strike. But we will be here a day, a week, a month, six if we need to.”
Huestis said he’s worked for Pratt & Whitney for 27 years, and participated in the last machinists’ strike in 2001. He said he’d learned lessons from that experience.
“Stand your ground. Fight for what we deserve,” Huestis said. “We have memberships that we have to answer to, and they don’t want us to back down from their demands.”
The company, a subsidiary of Arlington, Virginia-based RTX Corp., called its latest wage and retirement proposal competitive, and said its workforce is among the most highly compensated in the region and industry.
“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 in a statement. "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.”
The strike comes as RTX faces a potential $850 million hit on profits this year because of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, if the tariff rates remain the same through the year. During its first-quarter earnings call on April 22, the company said its Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace subsidiaries would each shoulder just over $400 million of the potential tariffs hit.
RTX is predicting $83 billion to $84 billion in adjusted sales companywide in 2025. The company's first-quarter earnings were $1.5 billion. Pratt & Whitney's adjusted operating profit in the quarter was $590 million.
The company said its latest contract proposal included an immediate 4% wage increase, followed by a 3.5% increase in 2026 and a 3% increase in 2027. It also included a $5,000 contract ratification bonus and enhanced pension and 401k plan benefits.
Pratt & Whitney makes engines for commercial and military jets, including the GTF line for Airbus commercial jets and the F135 for the military's F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft fleet.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, both Democrats, issued a statement urging the company and union to continue negotiating. Members of Connecticut's all-Democratic congressional delegation and Democratic state lawmakers said they were supporting the union workers.
Connecticut’s senior U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined the workers on the picket line in East Hartford on Monday.
“This corporation can pay you more,” Blumenthal said through a megaphone. “We're going to be with you. I'm going to be out here again and again and again, as long as it takes for you to get basic, fair, decent treatment. That's what the workers of America deserve.”
Connecticut Public’s Chris Polansky contributed to this report.
This story has been updated.
