EAST HARTFORD, Conn., December 5, 2010 – IAM members of Locals 700, 1746 and 1746A of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), representing hourly employees at Pratt & Whitney in Middletown, East Hartford and Cheshire, ratified a new three-year labor agreement today. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.
The agreement covers more than 3,400 employees in Middletown, East Hartford and Cheshire and is effective, December 6, 2010.
As a part of the agreement, the Cheshire facility and the Connecticut Airfoil Repair Operations (CARO) will close in the coming year. A plant-closure agreement has been negotiated in an effort to ease the disruption to our employees’ lives.
David Hess, president, Pratt & Whitney said, “While the world-wide economic and competitive realities dictate no choice but to close Cheshire and CARO, our plan and this agreement accomplishes this in a very compassionate and responsible way.” Hess said, “We had very difficult issues on the table. In the end we worked together to deliver a new contract that treats our employees fairly and helps secure the company’s future competitiveness. This is a good outcome for Pratt & Whitney and our employees.”
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.