July, 2009 - Pratt & Whitney this week announced they are “exploring” the possibility of closing the Cheshire, CT, engine overhaul plant and a blade and vane repair facility in P&W’s East Hartford plant. The Cheshire facility employs approximately 850 hourly and salary workers; the Connecticut Airfoil and Repair Operation (CARO) in East Hartford employs about 200 people.
“Pratt’s targeting of Cheshire and CARO is totally off-base,” said District 26 Assistant Directing Business Representative Jim Parent. “These are both money-making operations where workers have actively taken steps to increase revenues and get the product out the door more quickly. The skills, experience and dedication of Connecticut’s overhaul and repair workers cannot be matched. If Pratt has ‘excess capacity’ overall, it should look someplace else to tighten its belt.”
The IAM contract with Pratt & Whitney requires management to work with the union to keep work covered by the agreement in Connecticut.
The company and the Machinists Union will now begin “meet and confer” discussions about management’s plan. Pratt has stated they are genuinely interested in working with the IAM to find ways to address their issues and keep the work here.
“We will use every means available to make sure Pratt lives up to the contract, and keeps this work here in Connecticut where it belongs,” said Parent. “We will be reaching out to our elected leaders at the local, state and federal level to get their assistance as well. In difficult economic times like these, companies and workers should be working together to weather the storm. Pratt management wants to abandon ship and take off with the lifeboats. We’re not going to let that happen.”
