*

Striking workers approve offer from RTX's Pratt & Whitney

by 74%

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Machinists union workers' want Pratt & Whitney to keep

Lockheed

Martin F-35 engine work in Connecticut

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RTX's Pratt & Whitney produces engines for F-35 fighter

and for

the Airbus A320 family

By Dan Catchpole

May 27 (Reuters) - Striking workers at RTX's

Pratt & Whitney approved the company's second contract offer on

Tuesday by 74%, according to the International Association of

Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

The strike at two of the engine-maker's plants in

Connecticut began May 5 after members of the International

Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers overwhelmingly

rejected the first contract offer.

Union representatives have previously said the roughly 3,000

striking workers' top priority is getting Pratt to commit to

keep work for Lockheed Martin's ( LMT ) F-35 fighters in the

state.

The strike is the first in more than 20 years at the

enginemaker's Connecticut sites, where it produces engines for

the F-35 and about 70% of the company's geared turbofan engine,

which is used in European planemaker Airbus'

strong-selling A320 neo family.

The vote results "reaffirms our commitment to the people,

programs and communities that have powered our legacy - and will

shape our next century of aviation innovation," a Pratt &

Whitney spokesperson said.

During the strike, Pratt reassigned some engineers to production

lines as part of its contingency plan, which was first reported

by Reuters.