Aircraft workers walk off the job

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Members of the union representing about 4,000 workers at Lockheed Martin Corp.'s aircraft manufacturing plant went on strike Monday, seeking higher wages and better medical insurance.

Picketing began outside Lockheed Martin Corp.'s plant at 12:01 a.m. as the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' contract with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics expired. The plant makes fighter jets.

"We have forgone a lot of raises over the last few contracts because our company had not been in a good position," said Mark Hill, a strike captain for the Machinists union's District Lodge 776. "But this year we absolutely are in a different position -- there are record profits at Lockheed Martin. We are asking for a fair contract."

Lockheed Martin spokesman Joe Stout said the plant, which operates around the clock, remained open Monday, and the company would try to maintain aircraft production with nonunion salaried employees. The plant employs about 15,000 workers.

"The company has contingency plans in place to continue plant operations and critical production tasks during the strike," Stout said.

The plant has made hundreds of F-16 fighters for the U.S. military but now only builds that particular aircraft for Israel and Greece. Since last year, Lockheed has been making the center section of the F/ A-22, which will replace the F-16 but is not in use yet by the U.S. military. Lockheed also builds the F-2, another fighter, for Japan.

"Because we don't make anything for the (U.S.) military now, I don't think this strike has any bearing on the war," said Doug Grimes, a picketing 18-year employee with the plant.

Also, the union's production workers will begin building the new F- 35 Joint Strike Fighter later this year.

Negotiators for Lockheed Martin and production workers met during the weekend but failed to agree on a proposed three-year contract. Lockheed made a new offer, improving its wage and pension proposals slightly.

But union officials said the general wage-increase proposal of up to 4 percent in the first year and 3 percent in the next two years was not enough to recommend ratification.

Hill said proposed raises in the contract would be eaten up by increases in medical and prescription drug co-payments.

Employees voted 2,835 to 426 to reject the company's offer, then voted 2,380 to 432 to strike. The existing three-year contract was reached after the Machinists walked off the job for 18 days in April 2000.

Lockheed is the second-largest employer in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Executives of Lockheed Martin said earlier that first-quarter net profits soared to $218 million, with sales of $6 billion. Much of that was driven by a 56 percent sales jump in the company's aeronautics division.

Workers in the highest skill categories make up to $22.43 an hour.

The union's most recent proposal sought raises of 8 percent the first year and 6 percent the next two years, a $1,500 bonus and pension payments of $70 a month per year of service.

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