Lockheed machinists at Mississippi space center vote to end strike

Reuters
Workers can be seen on the moving line and forward fuselage assembly areas for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Lockheed Martin Corp's factory located in Fort Worth, Texas in this October 13, 2011 handout photo provided by Lockheed Martin. REUTERS/Lockheed Martin/Randy A. Crites/Handout

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Tuesday that more than 100 union members who had been on strike at a Mississippi space center since late last week voted to accept the company's contract offer and would return to work on Wednesday. "The ratification of this new, three-year contract is excellent news for our company, the represented employees, their communities and the customer," Lockheed spokeswoman Tabatha Thompson said in a statement. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers began picketing outside NASA's Stennis Space Center on Friday after rejecting a Lockheed contract offer. The center is home to NASA's Rocket Propulsion Test Program, which manages the agency's propulsion test facilities. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Peter Cooney and Andrew Hay)