Company officials from Pratt and Whitney are expected to meet Friday with leaders of the machinists union to discuss where the jet engine maker might move jobs should they move some from Connecticut.
Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. is evaluating closing the Cheshire Engine Center in Cheshire and moving the Connecticut Airfoil Repair Operations from East Hartford if the company fails to find alternative cost-savings.
Both facilities do maintenance and repair, but the company says business is way off.
Pratt & Whitney officials said nothing is definite and they plan to negotiate with unions over the next two months. The International Association of Machinists represents 3,800 workers at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut.
James Parent, the union representative, said the machinists' contract with Pratt & Whitney prevents Pratt & Whitney from closing the Cheshire plant until after the contract expires in December 2010.
The Cheshire plant employs 825 employees, the Hartford Courant reports.
As management and the union get set to sit down, political officials are getting involved.
U.S. Rep. Chris Dodd wrote a letter to the David Hess, the president of Pratt & Whitney, saying he is concerned about how closing the Cheshire facility would affect national security.
The company supports the F117 engine, which powers the U.S. Air Forces Globemaster III, he said.
“It is my understanding that, currently, the Cheshire facility is the only facility in the Pratt and Whitney network that provides overhaul work on the F117,” Murphy wrote. “As you begin meeting with your employees and making a decision about the fate of the facility, I strongly urge you to consider the impact that your decision will have on
your commitment to the United States Air Force, which depends on the great work done in Cheshire.”
The company issued a statement responding to the letter, the Courant reports, stating that no decision has been made and that "ensuring that the F-117 can be efficiently and safely maintained will be a critical factor in our final determination."
