Tense Lockheed Martin negotiations are over

Lockheed Martin avoided an unwanted strike while its unionized Machinists got better pay.

The negotiations came down to the wire, but a deal was made Saturday, a day before the old contract expired.

After months of negotiations, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 776, which represents 2,600 Lockheed workers, approved the new contract with a vote of 1,496 to 372.

The new six-year contract also raises wages 16 percent, protects healthcare coverage and pension benefits, and gives a signing bonus of $4,000.

This contract will be in effect until April 2022.

Some employees were still upset about the possible schedule changes and higher health insurance rates, but overall the contract seems to benefit both parties equally.

Workers get most of what they wanted, while Lockheed Martin will have an uninterrupted rollout of F-35s until 2022.

All better than a strike.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Tense Lockheed Martin negotiations are over."