Thousands of machinists union members go on strike at jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — About 3,000 labor union members went on strike early Monday at jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut, as negotiations over wages, retirement benefits and job security broke down.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers were picketing at manufacturing locations in East Hartford and Middletown, after about 77% of nearly 2,100 union members voted to approve their first strike since 2001, union officials said. Their contract expired late Sunday.

“Pratt and Whitney is a powerhouse in military and commercial aerospace products because our membership makes it so,” David Sullivan, the union's eastern territory vice president, said in a statement. ”This offer does not address the membership concerns, and the membership made their decision — we will continue to fight for a fair contract.”

Picketing workers lined and crossed streets near the entrances to the East Hartford and Middletown plants on a rainy Monday morning. Many of the signs said “I am on strike! against Pratt & Whitney,” while some read “Solidarity for Security” and “Together We Rise.”

Some workers said they were concerned that the company may move jobs and manufacturing out of the state to its plants in Georgia.

“They’re not giving us job security. We need time to be here,” union member Scott Westberg told WFSB-TV. “We want to be in Connecticut a long time. They’re trying to deteriorate the middle class, which is what we are. We are the blue collar.”

The company, a subsidiary of Arlington, Virginia-based RTX Corp., called its latest wage and retirement proposal competitive, and said its workforce is among the most highly compensated in the region and industry.

“Our message to union leaders throughout this thoughtful process has been simple: higher pay, better retirement savings, more days off and more flexibility,” the company said in a statement. "We have no immediate plans to resume negotiations at this time and we have contingency plans in place to maintain operations and to meet our customer commitments.”

The strike comes as RTX faces a potential $850 million hit on profits this year because of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, if the tariff rates remain the same through the year. During its first-quarter earnings call on April 22, the company said its Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace subsidiaries would each shoulder just over $400 million of the potential tariffs hit.

RTX is predicting $83 billion to $84 billion in adjusted sales companywide in 2025. The company's first-quarter earnings were $1.5 billion. Pratt & Whitney's adjusted operating profit in the quarter was $590 million.

The company said its latest contract proposal included an immediate 4% wage increase, followed by a 3.5% increase in 2026 and a 3% increase in 2027. It also included a $5,000 contract ratification bonus and enhanced pension and 401k plan benefits.

Pratt & Whitney makes engines for commercial and military jets, including the GTF line for Airbus commercial jets and the F135 for the military's F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft fleet.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, both Democrats, issued a statement urging the company and union to continue negotiating. Members of Connecticut's all-Democratic congressional delegation and Democratic state lawmakers said they were supporting the union workers.

Pratt & Whitney employees hold signs while picketing at the Silver Lane entrance in East Hartford, Conn., on the first day of their strike, Monday, May 5, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)

Pratt & Whitney employees hold signs while picketing at the Silver Lane entrance in East Hartford, Conn., on the first day of their strike, Monday, May 5, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)

Andy Opgaard, a Pratt & Whitney employee, blows a whistle and holds a sign as he crosses the street to with fellow workers on the picket line at the Silver Lane entrance in East Hartford, Conn., on the first day of their strike, Monday, May 5, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., offers words of encouragement to striking Pratt & Whitney employees at the Silver Lane entrance in East Hartford, Conn., on the first day of their strike, Monday, May 5, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)

Pratt & Whitney employees hold signs while picketing at the Main Street entrance in East Hartford, Conn., on the first day of their strike, Monday, May 5, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant via AP)

FILE - This file photo taken Feb. 5, 2010, shows a "Pratt & Whitney Dependable Engines" emblem at the plant in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hil, filel)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.

“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said.

Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure," Gisler said.

Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

Officials called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.

“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.

The municipality had banned New Year’s Eve fireworks due to lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.

The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.

The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.

Crans-Montana is one of the top race venues on the World Cup circuit in Alpine skiing and will host the next world championships over two weeks in February 2027.

In four weeks’ time, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers for their last events before going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open Feb. 6.

Crans-Montana also is a premium venue in international golf. The Crans-sur-Sierre club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course with stunning mountains views.

From left, Mathias Reynard, State Councillor and president of the Council of State of the Canton of Valais, Stephane Ganzer, State Councillor and head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport of the Canton of Valais, Frederic Gisler, Commander of the Valais Cantonal Police, Beatrice Pilloud, Attorney General of the Canton of Valais and Nicole Bonvin-Clivaz, Vice-President of the Municipal Council of Crans-Montana during a press conference in Lens, following a fire that broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A skier walks in the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A banner stating that fireworks are prohibited due to the risk of fire is pictured near the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)