Amid ongoing supply chain issues and the dawn of the electrification era, the automotive industry has undergone some major changes in recent years, all of which figure to have a major impact on the United Auto Workers union (UAW), which has more represented Ford employees than any other automaker. Recently, the UAW has come out against the Biden Administration's plan to extend EV tax credits to other countries, called on the industry to cut ties with Chinese forced labor, and is looking to unionize future battery plants like Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, particularly as the future of some plants remains in doubt amid the EV transition. Now, it looks like upcoming contract talks between Ford and the UAW are poised to get pretty ugly, according to the Detroit Free Press.
"It's a new day in the UAW," said new president Shawn Fain, who recently unseated former union head Ray Curry in a hotly contested runoff election. "We're here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against our one and only true enemy - multibillion-dollar corporations and employers who refuse to give our members their fair share."
Fain's campaign centered around using more aggressive tactics during negotiations with automakers, including a possible restructuring, as well as a broader focus on both human and worker rights. Among his chief focuses, Fain plans to fight plant closures, improve health care, fortify retirement benefits, and eliminate compensation tiers.
“Our union is moving from rights on paper to rights in action,” Fain said. "Our membership's fed up. They're fed up with the status quo." The new UAW president also stated that the union's members deserve "their share" and added that the organization would "use every resource we have" to make that happen.
We'll have more on these upcoming negotiators soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
For now at least, that model is only built in the U.S.
For the second straight year.
Three models moved nearly 31K units.
And wound up hitting a concrete pole.
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Massive EV losses by Ford are not sustainable. The hope/belief this will change in the near future may depend upon significant sales increases EV. Does Ford have the capacity and supply items to produce a greater number of EV. If not, workforce numbers are going to take a hit. The union is going to be depent upon Ford's ability to reverse fi ancial losses.
Yep, until Ford shows their projected 8% EV margins by EOY 2026, the UAW is going to have a tough time negotiating for higher wages. Ultimately, with the planned reduced complexity and simplification of EV platforms, I see lots more automation in the near future, so the union better hope for EV growth to offset this with volume, and more new plants like Blue Oval City.
Ford's price gouging will now come back to haunt them. The union wants a chunk of those big profits and I don't think they will back down. Workers around the world are tired and squeezed. This will be a rough fight.
Big profits? On the corporate level they don’t exist (yet).
Completely financially ready for an extended strike. Also a skilled trade and in demand for $8-10 an hour over my current wage. If it doesn't pan out, time to go. Hope not, like working there. Lots of good friends made over last 20 years.
Just out of curiosity, with automotive already paying far more than other industries, where do you think you're going to go to get a $10/hr raise? Cars are already unaffordable for most people at the current wage costs.
They don't pay "far more" where you get that from?
Automotive manufacturer's jobs has always historically had much better wages and benefits than comparable jobs. Even in the 70's at AMC in Kenosha, WI we had the best of both, even though the ending of the company was in sight. Which I'm sure helped quicken this. And through it all the union never once blinked.
Line workers start off at like $16 an hour. They work temp employees 60 hours a week with no benefits . And skilled trades are way underpaid for the skills needed . Prices of vehicles have sky rockets while labor has went down the last three years and the people that did get a raise was only $1 in the last 3 years. You are apparently extremely clueless. Trades are learning and doing way more for zero more pay . Things need to change. More skills for more pay. Period
I think it's going to be "adios" then!
Ford will be bankrupt going all in on EV when nobody wants them.
LoL.
Eggxactly true
Ford has bent over backwards to give the UAW a seat at the table, and this moron is calling them the “enemy “. That’s productive, right? Also, one has to wonder about the role of the workers in Ford’s unending stream of recalls.
Here's a thought - how about the Big Three auto companies lock out the UAW and go non-union ! Might as well take a big hit now and force the issue on controlling their future costs for labor. I can do without a new car for the next year or two, maybe buy some shares in Carvana and enjoy my retirement. I agree, this moron calling Ford the enemy seems to be mostly about ego and does little to serve his membership.
That idea is ridiculous.
They'd lose billions!!!
If they could they would have by now.
Hahaha when?
They better build in some significant QC accountability requirements for every single UAW worker. What the UAW has allowed to happen at several plants is disgusting. The Chicago Assembly is the worst of all hence the massive recalls and issues with the current Explorer. UAW members at Chicago Assembly were sabotaging Police vehicles after several large newsworthy political incidents. This behaviour must be eradicated with immediate action by Ford and the UAW. Go Woke Go Broke!
Nob to my knowledge, the sabotage theme is right wing disinformation.
If you have reliable sources please cite them.
I have no news articles to prove this but I was a part of the team reworking the vehicles from Chicago. I seen vehicles that had gloves shoved in the exhaust and then duck taped shut. Missing bolt or parts for that matter even. Everything on the production line is pretty well dummy proof if you miss a bolt the line stops. You can send it out with a concern meaning it’s noted in the computer system this or that was missing or this was over or under tightened. Technically the vehicle is not supposed to leave the building with any of those concerns open. Employees with proper clearance can clear the concerns out of computer. I have seen management use employees login info to clear unfixed issues out. by doing so they are saying they know it’s good either fixed or they seen the part was installed.
As someone that was working on the improperly assembled vehicles it definitely appeared as though some of the things where intentional or at the very least careless. As for sabotage police vehicles I didn’t see the people doing it but working on the vehicles after being assembled. It definitely appeared like things were intentionally done. Reworking the police vehicles was taking so long they had calls from sheriffs departments threatening to pull there contracts if they didn’t get there cars now.
will be interesting to watch and see if a compromise can be reached between the wage increases and unionization of the new EV plants. That seems to be Ford's best bargaining chip.
I don’t think these two things are that easy to couple because UAW uses pattern bargaining.
The reason Ford products are so bad who is building them uaw need I say anything else!
Please Chuck, do say nothing else because your comment is simply silly.
Those workers just assemble what's in front of them, they don't engineer the cars don't test fit parts, get no say in how things are assembled.
You ever worked in any auto assembly plant at all!?
The reason your post is so void of any knowledge of the auto industry, is because of the guy that wrote it. You don’t have any.
“We’re here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against our one and only true enemy – multibillion-dollar corporations and employers who refuse to give our members their fair share.” Wow talk about attitude!! Why are you working for "the enemy". Go find a friendly communist company to work for 🙄
Hello everyone. I am a union worker. We are working with old and equated equipment. Where I am at we have welding machines from the 1970s. We don't seem to have a problem putting millions of dollars into offices chairs and computers. But out here on the floor I have been fighting to get my team up to date welding machines. From what I can see everything is getting shipped out and we are putting our name on someone else's work. Until we bring these projects back in house where we can become accountable for what we produce I don't see things changing. You have to have some skin in the game to be held responsible. I am thankful to have this job. And I love Ford Motor Company. But until they start listening to the workers we are always going to be divided. Bless you all and have a nice day.
Just to be clear, you’re not working for Ford, right,