Lockheed Martin union workers in Fort Worth ratify new contract
Union workers who assemble the F-35 aircraft at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth voted June 14 to ratify a new contract with the defense contractor after months of negotiations.
Roughly 5,000 local members of IAM, or the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, voted to ratify the contract, according to a press release from IAM.
The new contract, according to IAM, includes a “historic” 6% general wage increase, a $6,000 “ratification bonus,” a $1,000 cost of living adjustment payment per year, increased vacation time, the end of mandatory overtime, and increase in pension contributions. The new contract, which went into effect at midnight on June 15, will last for five years.
Lockheed Martin is the largest defense contractor in the United States. During the war in Iran, according to the company, the jets have helped in “suppressing Iran’s air defenses.”
On June 2, the Department of War awarded the company over $879 million to support F-35 delivery schedules.
In 2025, Lockheed Martin delivered nearly 200 of the aircraft in a record-breaking year of production, according to the company.
Bargaining for the new contract began in mid-March, according to the union, after the bargaining team participated in a training course in January.
The contract also covers IAM union members at Edwards Air Force base in California and the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.
