F-35 Program Workers Start Negotiations With Lockheed Martin

IAM District 776 represents about 5,000 employees in Fort Worth, Texas.

Zach Vasile

Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 04:50 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II takes off for exercise Cold Response at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Sierra Casteel]

Key Takeaways:

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 776, representing about 5,000 Lockheed Martin F-35 workers, has initiated new contract negotiations.
The union's key demands focus on increasing employer 401(k) contributions, controlling healthcare costs, and improving the current wage progression structure.
These contract talks involve employees primarily located at the F-35 final assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, along with members at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Edwards Air Force Base.
The current agreement between the union and Lockheed Martin is scheduled to expire at midnight on June 14.

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The labor union representing Lockheed Martin workers who build the F-35 stealth strike fighter started new contract talks with the company on Thursday.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 776 represents about 5,000 Lockheed employees in Fort Worth, Texas, where the F-35 final assembly line is located. The chapter also has members at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland and Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The District 776 negotiating team said it will focus on growing employer 401(k) contributions, controlling healthcare costs, and improving the current wage progression structure.

“This committee, our leadership, and our members are all ready to get to the table to hammer out the best agreement we can,” IAM Southern Territory general vice president Craig Martin said in a news release. “Today and over the next several months, we are going to demand a contract that provides security and growth in the future.”

The workers’ current agreement ends at midnight on June 14.

By the IAM’s estimate, the F-35 program’s supply chain supports 250,000 jobs and nearly 2,000 suppliers.

The F-35 has been back in the news recently due to its use in ongoing U.S. operations against Iran.