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September 1, 2006
Pratt & Whitney will not resort to laying off workers even if a voluntary buyout program offered to union machinists fails to sufficiently reduce employment levels within the state, a company spokeswoman said Thursday.
Reduced demand for Pratt's commercial jet engines has created the need to eliminate about 100 union jobs in Connecticut by December, company officials said. The East Hartford company is confident the reductions can be achieved entirely through voluntary buyouts of older workers, said Jennifer Arsenault, a company spokeswoman.
If fewer than 100 union machinists accept the buyout, the company would "deal with the issue through attrition and more conservative hiring practices," she said.
"The reductions will be completely voluntary," Arsenault added.
The buyout deadline is Sept. 23. Those accepting a buyout would see their jobs eliminated between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30.
Pratt employs about 4,400 hourly union workers in Connecticut at plants in East Hartford, Middletown and Cheshire. About 39 percent, or 1,700 of those workers, meet the buyout program's eligibility requirements of at least 55 years of age and 15 years of service.
James Parent, of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, did not return phone calls Thursday seeking comment.
In all, Pratt employs 12,000 people statewide and 38,000 globally, Arsenault said.
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