Everything on the Line Proud IAM Union: Proud IAM Union Members at Pratt & Whitney Hold Strong to Secure Jobs

This article was featured in the Winter 2025-2026 IAM Journal  and was written by IAM Communications Representatives Angela Colaizzi.

Well before contract talks for Connecticut Locals 700 and 1746 (District 26) began with Pratt & Whitney, IAM Union members were building solidarity for what they anticipated would be a showdown.

Members at the company’s Middletown (Local 700) and East Hartford (Local 1746) facilities produce and maintain jet aircraft engines for military and commercial jets, such as the KC-46 air refueling tanker, the F-35 joint strike fighter, and the A320 commercial airliner.

In October 2024, Pratt & Whitney secured a $1.3 billion contract for F-135 engine upgrades from the U.S. government, which made members question the company’s rationale when it announced furloughs in January of 2025.

According to members of both locals, the move sent a bad message just three months before the parties were set to meet at the bargaining table.

IAM members at Pratt & Whitney have a legacy of strong solidarity and responded quickly by rallying hundreds of union members and elected leaders outside the company’s two Connecticut facilities in protest of the furloughs.

They held signs that read “Protect Our Jobs” and “No Furloughs, Fair Contracts.” Speakers emphasized the impact of the furloughs on workers’ families and the local economy, while also urging the company to approach the upcoming negotiations with fairness and respect.

Considering Pratt & Whitney had nearly $100 billion of back-logged work, cutting down members’ production work didn’t make sense.

“Our members are amongst the highest-skilled in the industry and it’s no small task building these aircraft engines,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “They should be in those facilities continuing work that ensures Pratt & Whitney can deliver on their commitments.”

Fast forward to the bargaining table in April. When negotiations opened, the locals knew their priorities: guaranteed work protections and wages that not only keep up with the increased cost of living, but align with the immense success of the company.

With the company investing millions out of state for new manufacturing facilities, the Connecticut Locals had been challenging the company about production work leaving the state for some time. The union’s stance in these negotiations was clear: they were not going to accept an offer that allowed Pratt & Whitney to give away their livelihoods.

The current contract was set to expire May 4, 2025 and the parties went back and forth until the very last second.

“Our committee worked tirelessly to advance our member’s voices to the company, and the company simply failed to bring to the table an agreement that we felt comfortable recommending to our membership,” said IAM District 26 Directing Business Representative Jeff Santini. “At the end of the day, the membership always has the final say.”

Three-thousand IAM Union Local 700 and Local 1746 members voted overwhelmingly to reject the company’s final offer before expiration and commenced their strike.

“These are my eighth negotiations against Pratt & Whitney. I’ve been the chairman of three or four of those as local president, and I think this is probably the most disrespected that we have ever been at the negotiating table,” said Local 700 President Wayne McCarthy. “We had fair proposals for their consideration. They wanted to box us in on their ‘same-as-salary’ agenda. We’re not salary. We’re union. We are going to bargain over benefits, bargain over job security, and bargain over retirement security.”

“I stand behind you, and we’re going to fight like hell every day to get what you want,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan, who went to the strike lines immediately. “You don’t have jet airplanes without jet engines, and you don’t have jet engines without you!”

“We are on strike to fight corporate greed,” said IAM Local 1746 member Jacqueline Bilyeu, who had her baby daughter strapped to her front in a carrier while she walked the picket line. “This year their profits are record high, up 41 percent. They want to give us a three percent wage increase in three years, three and a half in two years, and 4 percent this year, when inflation itself is 5.8 percent. Their profits have gone up 161 percent off of our backs.”

Bilyeu didn’t forget to mention the key issue though.

“Number one is our job security,” said Bilyeu. “They’ve built a new plant down in Asheville, North Carolina. They can ship our work out tomorrow. What good is any amount of money when we won’t even have a job in a month.”

Going back to wages, Bilyeu disclosed that the cost of living, including childcare, was an important factor.

“I’m on strike and I can’t afford child care right now, but I can’t afford child care even when I made that wage in there,” said Bilyeu, pointing to the facility.

Picketing members received an outpouring of support from the highest levels of state and federal government. Community members, allied organizations like the Connecticut AFL-CIO, and even white-collar Pratt & Whitney salary employees showed up in person to support.

IAM Union International President Brian Bryant went to both the Middletown and East Hartford strike lines to deliver a strong message of solidarity.

“You are absolutely right on the reasons you are on strike,” Bryant told members holding the line. “This company would not be here if it wasn’t for the IAM and our members. It’s high time this company realizes that!”

IAM Veterans Services responded after Pratt & Whitney cut off members’ healthcare in the middle of the strike. They partnered with the West Haven VA Hospital to provide support to the veterans on strike, visiting both locations to assist veteran members in applying for VA healthcare benefits.

They were able to meet with nearly 50 veteran members and successfully helped the majority begin the application process for healthcare.

Half of the bargaining committee were first-time bargaining committee members, including Taylor Salman and Therese Hervieux from Local 1746, who were both inspired by the Leadership Assembly of Dedicated Sisters (LEADS) program to get involved with negotiations.

“I would have probably never run for our negotiation committee had it not been for the LEADS program,” said Hervieux. “But also, our president of the Local, Howie Houstis, has constantly encouraged us to run for things like this.”

“During the LEADS program, there were a bunch of women who were running for their negotiating committees, and hearing that was really exciting,” said Salman. “It encouraged me to get on the bargaining committee and contribute what I could to these negotiations.”

“It shows that Committees are looking like their members and that the program works,” said IAM Eastern Territory Chief of Staff Lorie Wilson, who was a part of the LEADS program’s initial development meeting, was a mentor for the first two cohorts, and is now the territory’s first woman Chief of Staff. “There are women who work at Pratt Whitney, so women should be at the bargaining table. We need our brothers like Howie, who help our sisters and encourage the sisters within their locals to get involved.”

Union representatives and striking members emphasized that the strike was driven by a strong desire to protect workers’ futures for all generations.

“The conversations that we were able to have as a committee with all levels of seniority were great,” said Salman, who received the highest number of votes despite being the youngest person and the one with the least seniority.

“As somebody who’s been around for a long time and seen a lot of things, I just wanted to share what I thought was important,” said Hervieux. “My intention was to lend my experience of 38 years in our union and try to protect both the older people and the younger people, and to give people a different point of view possibly than what they were thinking.”

“The new generation of Machinists is outstanding. They stuck together, they went out on the picket line, they stepped up to become picket captains, they picked up garbage and delivered food,” said Huestis. “The times are changing, and it looks like the younger members get that in order to get what we want, we have to stand up and fight for it.”

“On the other side of that, we had our picket lines manned by retirees when we went to take our second vote,” said Huestis. “The people who have retired understand that if it wasn’t for the union, they wouldn’t be able to do what they’re doing right now. It wasn’t the company that gave them a comfortable retirement; it was the union.”

Bargaining continued for three weeks while members held their position on the strike line until an acceptable offer was made.

Then, the bargaining committee brought a new offer from the company to the membership; this time, it was one they endorsed. It addressed the union’s concerns surrounding wage growth, retirement security, and job stability. It ensures continued operations in East Hartford and Middletown facilities through 2029 and set a 6 percent wage increase in the first year.

Members again went to vote and ratified the new four-year collective bargaining agreement with 74% approval.

“We went into these negotiations with clear goals, and thanks to the support and unity of our membership, we’ve delivered results,” said IAM Local 1746 President Howie Huestis. “This contract puts our members in a stronger position for the future, and we’re proud of the work that went into making it happen.”

“Our committee worked tirelessly to ensure our members’ priorities were heard, and this agreement is a direct result of that determination,” said Santini. “We are proud of what was achieved at the table and even prouder of the solidarity shown by our membership throughout this process.”

“Pratt & Whitney is a leader in the aerospace industry because of the dedication and skill of our members,” said Sullivan. “The voice of the membership was heard loud and clear — and this new agreement reflects the value they bring to Pratt & Whitney. I commend this committee for reflecting the will of the membership.”

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