Members of IAM Local 2249 voted 41-7 on Tuesday, May 20 to ratify a new proposal from Lockheed Martin that will end the five-day strike at Stennis Space Center (SSC).
The settlement includes improvements to wages and benefits but replaces the defined benefit pension plan with a 401k retirement plan.
While united in opposition to Lockheed’s pension proposal, many members expressed a desire to end the strike quickly and take up the issue of retirement security in the next round of negotiations.
“We’ve had a pension plan at Stennis since 1977 and it’s important not only to retirees, but for the overall economy of this community,” said Local 2249 President J.C. Felder. “Despite the outcome of today’s vote, we’ll continue the fight for good jobs at Stennis with secure retirement provisions.”