Pratt may close 2 Conn. facilities

Cheshire (WTNH) - Pratt & Whitney notified its employees that they are considering closing down the company's Cheshire plant as well as a repair facility in East Hartford. The union says the move would put over 1,000 jobs at risk.

In a statement sent to News Channel 8, the company says a deteriorating global economy has taken its toll. "As a result, we have excess capacity in our large commercial engine overhaul and repair operations," the statement said.

"In keeping with our contractual obligations, we have notified the union and expect to begin the meet and confer process to evaluate together how labor costs, quality and competitiveness might be addressed and to work together to identify feasible alternatives to moving the work outside of Connecticut."

The International Association of Machinists (IAM) District 26 says about 850 hourly and salary workers are employed at the Cheshire plant. The plant overhauls military and commercial airplane engines. The Connecticut Airfoil and Repair Operation (CARO) in East Hartford employs about 200 people.

"Pratt's targeting of Cheshire and CARO is totally off-base. These are both money-making operations, where workers have actively taken steps to increase revenues, and get the product out the door more quickly. The skills, experience and dedication of Connecticut's overhaul and repair workers cannot be matched," the union said in a written statement.

Pratt & Whitney is a subsidiary of United Technologies. United Technologies Corp. announced 2nd quarter profits fell 24-percent, less than some analysts expected.

In related news, a vote in the U.S. Senate today removed additional funding for the F-22 Raptor program. The F-22 is powered by the F119 engine, produced by Pratt & Whitney.