BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- An executive of Pratt & Whitney says the jet engine maker considered closing a Connecticut plant in mid-2008, more than a year before it announced the shutdown.
Tom Mayes, a Pratt vice president at its commercial engine business, testified Monday in a federal court that he recommended the plant in Cheshire be closed as he and others at Pratt & Whitney considered other options.
The company, which also wants to shift repair operations from an East Hartford facility, is being sued by the International Association of Machinists to block the move of 1,000 jobs to Columbus, Ga., Singapore and Japan.
Gregg Adler, a lawyer for the machinists, says the company is required by its union contract to keep the work in Connecticut.