ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 900 union members walked off their jobs Thursday at Lockheed Martin sites in Orlando and Denver, according to a news release.
The strike comes after months of negotiations for a new contract failed between the United Auto Workers Union and the defense and aerospace company.
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Chairperson for Orlando’s UAW branch, Local 788 Cherrie Bowen, told News 6 this was the first time there has been a strike at the facility off Sand Lake Road.
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“We made history, Lockheed Martin never went on a strike, ever,” Bowen said. “We did not want to put our workers out, but we knew we had to do it because if we do not do it now, when would (we) be able to?”
Bowen said she heard stories from many employees on how they are unable to afford rent or groceries and the offer from Lockheed Martin was not good enough — especially after the corporation raked in billions in the first quarter this year.
“Every quarter, they’re not making millions, they are making billions, even their really bad year, they still make billions of dollars,” Bowen said. “All we are asking is for a piece of the pie.”
Other concerns the union has is changing the current policy of Veterans Day, as currently, it is not a paid holiday, and pay progression. According to a letter from UAW, it can take 16 - 23 years for employees to reach the top or maximum pay.
Gideon Spence has worked at the Orlando facility for roughly five years, and he was out there to advocate not just for himself, but his colleagues.
“There are people here not even making $16 an hour, you can go to Wawa and make that, the guy cleaning the toilets at Buc-ee’s makes $20 an hour, but Lockheed Martin can’t afford to pay them a fair wage,” Spence said.
Spence also said the protest is a show of solidarity for people who will work at the company in the future.
Spence, Bowen and other members of the UAW have said that they will keep protesting out there until a contract is reached.
“We will be out here as long as it takes,” Spence said. “Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”
Lockheed Martin has multiple offices across Central Florida including Titusville and Ocala, and is considered one of the top employers for graduates from the University of Central Florida, according to survey results from 2023.
The company released its 2025 Q1 earnings report on April 22, and it revealed that it has made $18 billion in sales — $1.7 billion more then it made in that time in its previous year.
The report also shows that it returned $1.5 billion back to its investors.
Meanwhile, an unnamed spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said in a prepared statement that the company values its employees and that it looks forward to reaching a fair labor agreement for both sides.
“Our employees perform important work for our customers and the nation through their work supporting programs critical to our national security,” a spokesperson said in a prepared statement.