Textron Cessna unit starts talks with 5,800-worker union

PROVIDENCE – Textron Inc.’s Cessna aircraft unit, the world’s largest maker of business jets, began contract negotiations last Monday with a union representing 5,800 workers, Bloomberg News Service reported.
The manufacturing employees are covered by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 774, Providence-based Textron said in a statement. The contract replaces a three-year pact that expires Sept. 16, Textron spokesman Doug Oliver said.
The Cessna division is based in Wichita, Kansas, where it employs 10,500 workers. The unit last year delivered 1,239 aircraft as a strengthened economy prompted companies including Warren Buffett’s NetJets Inc. to buy more planes. The division posted 2006 revenue of $4.16 billion, which made up about 36 percent of total company sales.