With the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis passing the one month mark recently, both sides continue to jockey for position not only in contract negotiations, but also in the court of public opinion. While things started off amicable enough with Blue Oval chairman Bill Ford dismissing the UAW’s claims that the two sides were “enemies,” and CEO Jim Farley also noted that the company wanted to give its union workers a “record” contract. However, following the UAW’s surprising decision to walk out of the Kentucky Truck plant last week – which has affected 13 other facilities and led to more layoffs – it seems as if Bill Ford, in particular, has changed his tone a bit.
“This should not be Ford versus the UAW,” Ford said while speaking during a press conference this morning dubbed “Remarks On The Future Of American Manufacturing.” “It should be Ford AND the UAW versus Toyota, Honda, Tesla, and all the Chinese companies that want to enter our home market. Toyota, Honda, Tesla, and the others are loving this strike. Because they know the longer it goes on, the better it is for them. They will win, and all of us will lose.”
This isn’t the first time FoMoCo has expressed concern about its China-based rivals, as Bill Ford himself previously said that the company “isn’t ready” for Chinese EVs, while Farley recently stated that he considers those same companies to be the company’s main rivals at this point in time, given how far ahead they are in terms of battery technology.
Last week, Kumar Galhotra, head of Ford Blue, said that the automaker had reached its limit regarding what the automaker can offer the union in terms of financials, which is what prompted the sudden walkout at the Kentucky Truck plant. Regardless, two major sticking points remain in discussions between the two sides that have yet to be overcome – the union’s desire to restore the same retirement security that was previously provided by pre-2007 defined benefit pension plans, as well as including existing and future joint-venture EV battery plants in master contracts with automakers.
We’ll have more on the UAW strike soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford-UAW news, UAW news, and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
What Bill Ford said is obviously correct.
Seems like some kind of an ESOP would reward the rank and file assembly teams (Who are obviously an important group) with ownership proportional to the companies long term success and viability.
Fain, I dare you to close more Furd plants!
Ford should be worried about the foreign auto companies ,their cars are made better!! I Work for a place that makes parts for Ford we are laid off till further notice. Nobody’s talking about the other people in these companies getting laid off. Anyone that works on an assembly line is putting their body through the Mill everyone deserves the same pay. My job is just as hard as theirs, and they cannot make their cars without our parts
Start working on moving to the non union states. It will be painful, but much better in the long run. Leave the UAW high and dry!! They only care about themselves and their pockets, not what it is doing to non Big 3 workers that are being hit by all this.
We bought a 2018 Ford Edge Titanium AWD in January 2023. After a couple of months, we noticed exessive coolant consumption and the Check Engine Light lit up. Checked for codes with my OBD 2 which read p0304. Code means misfires on cylinder #4. Near the end of September, vehicle started running rough at times; finally refused to start. We are looking at several thousand dollars to replace the engine. We still maintain that the original engine was defectively designed allowing coolant to invade the cylinders because of the grooves machined on the top of the block between the cylinders. Since the vehicle is out of Ford warranty, Ford refused any assistance. Having learned the hard way that Ford refuses responsibility for its agregious errors and refuses to help owners with problems arising out of its own faulty engineering, why would we ever buy another Ford product?
To pursue this issue one step further, why doesn’t Ford Authority publish information about such issues? Why no stories about the Class Action Lawsuit recently filed in California? If Ford Authority intends itself to be merely a FanMag, why claim otherwise?
It’s unfortunate but every brand out there has a story like yours
Ford should just lock out the remaining UAW employees and make the union spend their strike fund to support them. Once the strike fund is down to its last million dollars, I bet the UAW won’t be so quick to turn down 23% raises and other bonuses.
I agree with Bill Ford in that the contract negotiations have to be a partnership, but the union is taking the “my way or the highway” approach, which is not negotiating.
If I was on Ford’s negotiations team, I would have a digital countdown board. On that board, there would be a 25% raise, a $5000 ratification bonus, and a ticker showing how much money the company is losing because of the strikes. As the company loss number ticks up, the raise percentage and bonus amount decrease proportionately. The union would be wise to take a deal that the company can afford and that rewards the employees before all they get is a $10 Burger King gift card.
tim, you don’t know anything about the negotiations that have gone on. Ford made a big mistake by giving their upper management 40% raises. That automaticaly gave Fain a bargaining chip. Where do you think their original raise demand came from? Now they have lowered that raise demand as well as other concessions, so don’t say they aren’t negotiating. I am retired from UPS and when I first started with them the auto workers made much more money than I. Over the years Ford asked for concessions and got them. Now the role is reversed with UAW behind UPS wages. The UAWs request for 36% wage increase is deserved and if Ford says no then they shouldn’t have given those raises to upper management. Ford wastes money on ev development. Ford now charges stupid prices for ICE vehicles. The money is there and the workers need it in this Joe Biden economy.
You must be a shareholder or a very rich person to come up with such a nothotical idea as this… We gave up to save Ford and the other 2 for a broken lieing promise… Time ta pay the pauper now… But all the cry baby American CEOs and shareholders think they deserve 300 more times pay than there employees and now there playing the we r broke cardin which Americans know better… Well the wake up call is here… And you don’t… Do u see any foreign companies CEOs stealing like you all do…. WE are just asking back what they took
I’m suspect of M Reiter. How many miles does his Edge have? Did he get it cheap? If it was bought thru a Ford dealer, then it would be Certified. Let’s hear it: ‘Let the first owner take a hit for the appreciation’ ; ‘ I don’t think warranties are worth it’ ; I know a guy who can fix it if anything goes wrong’. ‘ I checked this car out myself, I know about cars and would never pay to have a mechanic look at it prior to purchase’. So is the litany of excuses of a cheap skate. Certified by Ford for a reason – coverage, peace of mind. Good luck.
These 2 sides are acting way too much like Washington DC. Just sit down and hammer this out. If both sides walk out pissed then it’s a good contract.
Just let the UAW accept non-union wages. Oh, wait……..
How about getting a set of balls tell them to come back to work while they negotiate tell them they have 14 days to report after that they are terminated and go to a nonunion shop PROBLEM SOLVED
He makes good points but I’m not sure who he’s talking to here. I think this is more for the general public, who polls show siding with the UAW, that Ford is not the ‘bad guy’ and not to boycott a ‘Ford’ when this is said and done.
I also don’t like how Ford seems to be doing the UAW legwork and taking the hit (Kentucky Truck) for the ‘Big 3’. GM, Stellantis? It’s like the UAW saying ‘you should have jumped ship to Mexico with trucks like the other 2 did Ford’.