Hundreds of workers at the defense industry company’s facility off Sand Lake Road in Orlando first walked off the job May 1, a date celebrated in some countries as International Workers Day. The Lockheed Martin workers, represented by the United Auto Workers union, were officially on strike over their employer’s alleged violations of federal labor law, including an allegation of failing to bargain a new union contract in good faith. They were joined by Lockheed Martin employees in Denver, similarly represented by the UAW.
“We are standing together in solidarity and we will have each other’s backs until we get a fair contract,” shared Tim Smith, director of UAW Region 8 (covering Florida), in a statement last month.
Representatives from various labor unions in Central Florida, as well as politicians like State Rep. Anna Eskamani, Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz and U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost, joined workers on the picket line over the last month.
“This is our fight and we have support,” UAW Local 788 president Art Franco of Clermont shared in a social media post. “We are not alone.”
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest and most profitable weapons manufacturer, provided the union with a new contract offer on May 21. The offer, subject to a vote by union membership, was subsequently approved by 56 percent of affected Lockheed Martin union members, according to the UAW. The new contract, covering roughly 900 employees in Orlando and Denver, offers higher pay, a shorter progression to reach maximum pay, and improvements to retirement benefits and parental leave, according to a summary of highlights from the union.
“This was a hard fight,” said Brandon Campbell, UAW Region 4 Director, in a statement. “Lockheed was determined to hold onto every cent of the $24 billion it made during the last three years. But UAW members stood up to win our fair share of the profits that we generate. That raises the standard for workers everywhere.”
According to the union, the new contract offers nearly 20 percent general wage increases over the life of the five-year agreement and immediately raised starting pay from $15 to $20 an hour. Starting pay will now range from $20 to $26, depending on the position or “labor grade” of the employee. The contract also shortens, by about 40 percent, the amount of time workers have to work for Lockheed before they can reach the maximum pay rate.
Lockheed Martin employs about 16,000 employees throughout the state, according to its website, with two facilities in Orlando that focus on missile defense and rotary systems and missiles and fire control.
Just about 6 percent of workers in Florida have union representation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to about 11 percent nationwide.
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Lockheed Martin employees walk out on strike in Orlando
This article appears in Summer Guide 2025.
