Day 3 on the picket line finally gave striking workers at jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney a break from the rain.

Members of IAM Local 700 were joined by sunshine, along with reinforcements, as they walked outside the entrance to the company’s plant in Middletown Wednesday.

David Sullivan, general vice president for IAM’s Eastern Territory, paid a visit to the picket line after union members overwhelmingly rejected the company’s final contract offer Sunday. The strike began at midnight Monday.

“We'll have people out here every day. We're going to support you with every resource we have in the IAM. We're going to make sure we get you guys a contract you deserve,” Sullivan pledged to the group. “There's not a lot of people who can do what you do, and you're a matter of national security for us. You do a hell of a job here, and you deserve everything that we 're asking for. We’re not asking for golden parachutes. We're asking to retire with dignity. We’re asking for job security here, and we're going to fight like hell to get that!”

The contract covers about 3,100 machinists and aerospace workers represented by IAM Local 700 and IAM Local 1746, the bargaining unit for the company’s plant in East Hartford.

Concerns about job security—due to concerns jobs will be moved to other states—pensions and wages keeping up with inflation are what led to the first strike in 24 years, according to union leaders.

Multiple retired workers have stopped by the picket line. One, who was part of the 2001 and 1985 strikes, said the energy at this one is on a different level.

Reuben Ruppert has been at Pratt & Whitney for 20 years, so it's his first strike but was impressed with the turnout and dedication of his fellow workers.

“It's just slowly been billowing up. It's been increasing , getting bigger, getting more intense, and I think that's what the company should expect,” stated Ruppert, who works on the F135 line.

Pratt & Whitney sent a letter to all striking workers, which the company also released publicly. The letter expressed disappointment in the decision to strike and outlined the company’s final offer.

“We recognize the skill, commitment and pride you bring to your work at Pratt & Whitney,” vice president and chief human resources officer Jill Vichi wrote. “You make the engines that power not just aircraft, but the trust, reputation and legacy we have built over the past century right here in Connecticut. That pride is hard-earned, and it’s what drove us to offer you a new contract that reflects your value to our company and industry.”

Vichi also wrote, “I would like to take this opportunity to explain our final contract offer, which you may not have had the opportunity to understand fully before rejecting. This is important as you consider the impact of this strike on you and your family.”

IAM Local 700 President Wayne McCarthy called the letter “propaganda.”

“We rejected the proposal by 80%. If she wants to come and convince us, she's welcome to come to the picket line. We do not negotiate in the press. We negotiate at the table,” McCarthy said on Wednesday.

“It's just something they put out for the media in order to get public support. We found it offensive,” Ruppert added as he walked the picket line.

Ruppert said he pushed for the strike, calling it necessary to show the company they’re serious.

“This company reports record breaking profits year after year. That's all through COVID. That's all through the downtown in the economy," Ruppert told News 12. "We're looking to make sure this work is secure for the ongoing future—not just for us, those of us with 20 years—but for the oncoming generations, the youngest guys and girls who are coming into this with hopes and dreams of the future. We want the same thing the generations that came before us had.”

According to Pratt & Whitney, the three-year offer included a pay increase of 4% the first year, 3.5% the second year and 3% in the third. But McCarthy said massive increases to workers’ healthcare costs would essentially wipe out those pay boosts.

You can read the company’s full letter to employees here.