Pratt & Whitney Union Members Approve Five-Year Contract
December 04 2016 - 2:59PM
Dow Jones News
By Ted Mann
Workers at jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney ratified a
five-year contract Sunday, avoiding a potential labor dispute when
the company is trying to increase production of new engines for
commercial airliners.
The contract was approved by members of two locals of the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers,
which represents about 2,600 workers at Pratt's engine plants in
East Hartford and Middletown, Conn.
A potential strike would have come at a tricky time for Pratt
and its corporate parent, United Technologies Corp., whose labor
relations have been in the national spotlight. The conglomerate
struck a deal last week with the incoming administration of
President-elect Donald Trump to preserve 800 jobs in an Indiana
factory of its Carrier air-conditioning and heating business while
shipping 1,300 workers to Monterrey, Mexico.
The company is under pressure from investors and customers to
meet its goal of delivering about 150 units of its newest jet
engine this year. The engine has a complex design known as the
geared turbofan, which the company says will improve fuel
efficiency significantly and reduce noise compared with previous
models.
Pratt cut its engine-delivery target in September from 200 to
150, disappointing investors, because of delays related to engine
parts, including the engine's fan blades. The problems have delayed
deliveries of planes made by Airbus Group SE.
United Technologies Chief Executive Gregory Hayes has said the
company will still meet an ambitious schedule for increasing
output, with production more than doubling next year, to "probably
north of 300 and 350 units."
"This contract rewards our employees for their skill, dedication
and hard work, while also positioning the company for long-term
success," said Terry Nolan, the company's lead negotiator, in a
statement.
The deal will provide 2.5% wage increases for Pratt workers in
each year, enhances some pension terms for existing workers, and
moves the contract expiration date to the spring -- a reversion to
a contract schedule that the union lost in 1960.
In a win for management, new workers hired after Jan. 1 will be
enrolled in defined-contribution retirement plans, not traditional
defined-benefit pension plans. Pratt expects to hire thousands of
new workers, including in Connecticut, as it lifts engine
production.
The contract, which takes effect Monday, was approved by 86% of
voting members, said Lori Pelletier, president of the Connecticut
AFL-CIO. "Members clearly felt this was worth voting for."
Write to Ted Mann at ted.mann@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 04, 2016 14:44 ET (19:44 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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