Court Upholds Ruling Barring Movement of Pratt & Whitney Jobs

Forbes is reporting that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York has upheld a federal judge’s ruling in favor of Pratt & Whitney workers at two of its factories in Connecticut.  The Court found that the company did not make every reasonable effort to avoid closing the two plants and as a result materially breached its contract with the International Association of Machinists.  The closures would have resulted in the elimination of some 1,000 jobs.

In February, U.S. District Judge Janet Hall issued an injunction against Pratt & Whitney, prohibiting the company from closing the Connecticut facilities.  She stated that rather than an unintentional misinterpretation of the contract, the company fully understood its terms and intentionally sought to evade its obligations.

The victory, however, could be a Pyrrhic one as the union’s contract with Pratt expires December 5 of this year.