Over 3,000 Pratt & Whitney Workers To Strike

by Niveen Ghoneim CTNewsJunkie

EAST HARTFORD, CT – Thousands of Pratt & Whitney workers have voted to go on strike starting Monday, union officials announced earlier today.

Over 3,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Locals 700 and 1746 will be going on strike at Pratt & Whitney’s plants in East Hartford and Middletown starting at midnight, citing “inadequate wage increases, weakening of their retirement benefits, rising health insurance costs and a lack of job security commitments,” according to a union statement.

The strike comes after an overwhelming majority of workers voted against ratifying the Connecticut-based aerospace giant’s latest contract offer, which includes an increase in Pratt & Whitney’s 401(k) contribution rate in 2028, and a step-down wage increase rate of 4 percent immediately, 3.5 percent in 2026 and 3 percent in 2027, according to the company.

“For months, we have negotiated in good faith with Pratt & Whitney in hopes of reaching a fair contract that reflects the billions in profits our members make for the company,” said Wayne McCarthy, president of IAM Local 700, which represents approximately 1,400 members at the Middletown plant. “The last offer by Pratt was an insult to the machinists who make the best jet engines in the world.”

The vote comes amid growing frustration among Pratt & Whitney machinists after the company’s recent decision to force workers to take unpaid furlough days despite over $100 billion in back orders, the unions stated.

“This strike is about dignity, respect, job security and protecting middle-class jobs in Connecticut,” said Howie Huestis, President of IAM Local 1746, which represents over 1,600 members at the East Hartford plant. “Workers at Pratt & Whitney in Florida saw larger wage increases than they offered here. We are ready to hold the line for as long as it takes to secure a contract that recognizes the value we create every single day for the company.”

The company in a statement said the latest offer “competitively compensates our workforce while ensuring P&W can grow in an increasingly competitive marketplace, creating ongoing economic opportunity in the state of Connecticut.”

The statement also indicated that the company has no immediate plans to resume negotiations.

“We have contingency plans in place to maintain operations and to meet our customer commitments,” the statement concluded.

FILE PHOTO: US Sen. Richard Blumenthal responds to a question during a news conference at Hartford HealthCare on Jan. 2, 2025. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie

By late afternoon, Connecticut elected officials were weighing in on the situation. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT and representatives Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd, and John Larson, D-1st, issued statements in support of the striking workers.

“I stand with machinists in fighting for basic workplace fairness — decent, well-deserved pay, pensions and job security,” Blumenthal said. “Our state’s prosperity and progress depends on proper, fair treatment of workers, especially at Pratt, where their products are critical to our national defense.” 

Larson in his statement said the workers build and maintain the best engines in the world.

FILE PHOTO: US Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, speaks to reporters at an event in November 2021. Credit: Christine Stuart / File Photo / CTNewsJunkie.com

“Record company profits and an increasing market demand for these engines are a testament to the hard work of our region’s machinists and engineers,” according to a statement from Larson’s office. “When RTX employees in Florida are being offered larger raises, the skilled and reliable workforce with a long history of making the best engines in the world here in Connecticut should be treated equally for their labor.”

DeLauro emphasized the importance of the industry to the state economy and national defense.

FILE PHOTO: US Rep. Rosa DeLauro speaks about federal cuts to a food program that will affect Connecticut farmers and nonprofits on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Credit: Viktoria Sundqvist / CTNewsJunkie