EAST HARTFORD -
The second negotiating session between Pratt & Whitney and Machinists' union officials did not produce any proposals that would help keep the company's Cheshire engine repair plant open beyond 2011, union officials reported to members Tuesday, and 1,000 jobs there and in East Hartford still hang in the balance.
The company has said it is open to proposals from the union that would help preserve the work in Connecticut, but the company hasn't said what concessions it would need from the union and the union hasn't offered any yet, according to Wayne McCarthy, president of the Machinists' local that represents more than 600 workers in Cheshire.
"It's like negotiating against yourself," he told about 50 second-shift factory workers at their union hall in Southington Tuesday afternoon. "We don't know what [Pratt is] looking for, so we don't know what to offer."
The parties plan to meet for their third negotiating session on Thursday. They plan to negotiate into next month. If they can't come to terms, Pratt plans to shut down the Cheshire plant by 2011, as well as a smaller engine parts repair operation in East Hartford. In all, 1000 jobs are on the line.
The company has said it is open to proposals from the union that would help preserve the work in Connecticut, but the company hasn't said what concessions it would need from the union and the union hasn't offered any yet, according to Wayne McCarthy, president of the Machinists' local that represents more than 600 workers in Cheshire.
"It's like negotiating against yourself," he told about 50 second-shift factory workers at their union hall in Southington Tuesday afternoon. "We don't know what [Pratt is] looking for, so we don't know what to offer."
The parties plan to meet for their third negotiating session on Thursday. They plan to negotiate into next month. If they can't come to terms, Pratt plans to shut down the Cheshire plant by 2011, as well as a smaller engine parts repair operation in East Hartford. In all, 1000 jobs are on the line.
