Lockheed, Union Working on F-35 Reach Tentative Deal

Jun. 25, 2012 By MARCUS WEISGERBER Defense news

Lockheed Martin has reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with the union that represents employees working on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the company said in a statement.

Union members must now decide whether to approve the agreement. Lockheed is not disclosing the terms of the deal.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers walked off the job on April 23. Lockheed hired temporary employers to replace the 3,600 striking workers.

The two-month strike has given the company “the opportunity to restore balance to the line,” Lockheed Martin CEO and Chairman Robert Stevens said during a June 19 briefing in Arlington, Va.

“We’ve taken those opportunities to learn in great detail the characterization of the process on the floor, how we might refine that process, make it more efficient [and] bring several section of the airplane back into a better balance,” he said. “We’ve worked to use this time productively and well both in the near term and with regard to the long-term performance expectations of the program.”