In a surprising turn of events, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union initiated a strike at Ford's largest plant on Wednesday evening, marking a significant escalation in their ongoing dispute with major automakers.
The strike, which began at 6:30 p.m. ET, saw approximately 8,700 UAW members cease work at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, effectively bringing operations to a standstill. This information was disclosed in a UAW announcement, which also revealed that this strike action was not previously disclosed.
This development comes amidst ongoing strikes at 43 other plants belonging to the 'Big Three' automakers - Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis - across the United States. These strikes were initiated following unsuccessful contract negotiations, which failed to reach a resolution before the September 14 deadline.
In the announcement, UAW President Shawn Fain expressed his frustration with the situation. "We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message," he stated. "Its time for a fair contract at Ford and the rest of the Big Three. If they cant understand that after four weeks, the 8,700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it.
The UAW's initial demands included a 46% wage increase over the nearly five-year contract, a 32-hour work week without a reduction in pay, a return to traditional pensions and retiree health care plans, cost-of-living adjustments, and job protections.
This comes as the Big Three are expanding their non-unionized electric vehicle operations, potentially at the expense of their traditional operations. The Big Three's most recent offer included a wage increase between 20% and 23%, with Ford and Stellantis agreeing to reinstate cost-of-living adjustments, as reported by Yahoo Finance.
Ford responded to the strike action with a statement, labeling the UAW's decision as "grossly irresponsible." The automaker added, "Ford made an outstanding offer that would make a meaningful positive difference in the quality of life for our 57,000 UAW-represented workers, who are already among the best compensated hourly manufacturing workers anywhere in the world.
The UAW has yet to respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Ford, on the other hand, directed the DCNF to its previous statements.
Login