WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The strike at Textron Aviation continues. It is now in its third week. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers leadership is in Wichita. The president joined strikers on the picket lines as they fought for what they believe is a fair contract.

Textron Aviation and Local 774 (District 70) have decided to resume negotiations after three weeks of the current strike.

Sherri Pelz was a Beechcraft employee before it was bought out of bankruptcy by Textron and merged with Cessna Aircraft. Former Beechcraft employees work under a different retirement plan than those who worked at Cessna at the time of the merger. She had a pension plan, for example.

Textron Aviation and the union representing machinists on strike will return to the negotiating table on Thursday, three weeks into the strike which began after members overwhelmingly rejected the company’s contract offer.

Machinists Union workers at Textron Aviation voted overwhelmingly to strike last month. In recent days, the union has ramped up expressing its desire to restart negotiations with Wichita's second-largest employer.