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Ford and UAW reached a tentative local agreement at Kentucky plant
Feb
The United Automotive Staff (UAW) have come to a tentative native settlement at a Ford manufacturing facility in Kentucky, after the union threatened to place the positioning’s nearly 9,000 staff on strike final week if a deal wasn’t reached.
Earlier this month, the UAW threatened to launch a strike at Ford’s most profitable manufacturing facility, the Kentucky Truck Plant, if an settlement wasn’t reached by February 23. The union mentioned that Ford had failed to come back to an settlement with the UAW Native 862 chapter on the Louisville manufacturing facility, even after 5 months had handed because the final contract deadline.
Final week, the UAW and Ford reached a tentative settlement to narrowly keep away from the Friday strike deadline, in keeping with a press release from the UAW. Whereas it’s not solely clear what agreements the events got here to, the union’s points with the manufacturing facility associated to well being and security, ergonomics and expert tradespersons on the facility.
“I come from a union household, I do know the distinction the union makes. My father grew up right here, then moved to Michigan and bought a job with Ford. He needed to retire early with a incapacity and the union made positive he bought his full pension and retiree well being care.”
— UAW (@UAW) December 8, 2023
Along with the aforementioned points, the specter of a strike got here after Ford CEO Jim Farley just lately alluded to being extra cautious about the place the U.S. automaker would construct factories sooner or later, and amidst concerns of some companies “nearshoring” production and moving manufacturing into other parts of North America.
“Our reliance on the UAW turned out to be we had been the primary truck plant to be shut down,” Farley mentioned (through CBS News). “Actually, our relationship has modified. It’s been a watershed second for the corporate. Does this have enterprise affect? Sure.”
UAW President Shawn Fain responded to Farley’s observe, including that the CEO ought to as a substitute deal with supporting U.S. staff in future endeavors.
“Perhaps Ford doesn’t want to maneuver factories to search out the most cost effective labor on Earth,” Fain responded. “Perhaps it must recommit to American staff and discover a CEO who’s involved in the way forward for this nation’s auto business.”
Even following the historic six-week strikes that led to tentative national agreements with Ford, Stellantis and General Motors within the fall, dozens of native contracts stay open, in keeping with the UAW. Though the UAW managed to ratify nationwide contracts with the automakers, the native contracts could be barely completely different than these, usually specializing in region- or plant-specific points.
As well as, the UAW has since launched union drives at numerous different automakers with U.S. services that aren’t unionized, together with Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai and others, nonetheless.
UAW officially launches union drive at Tesla, other automakers
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