Last year, Ford faced not just one – but two contract negotiations with two different unions – the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the U.S., and Unifor in Canada. It managed to avoid a strike with Unifor after reaching a new deal at the literal last second following a deadline extension, but wound up watching the UAW walk out of a handful of plants over the course of a six-week labor dispute that ended when the two sides reached a tentative deal that was ratified by workers shortly thereafter. Ultimately, Ford noted that the UAW strike cost it around $1.3 billion in profit, and now, it’s facing another potential strike from white collar workers in the UK, too.
This news comes straight from the UK-based union Unite, which is warning that around 3,000 salaried workers and managers may soon strike against Ford if the automaker doesn’t attend upcoming contract negotiations with the conciliation service Acas. Ford has already submitted a new offer to the union – which would give them a one-time five percent wage-based bonus – but a whopping 90 percent of these workers ultimately chose to reject that proposal.
Meanwhile, those Ford workers are seeking not only an actual pay raise, but also, performance-based bonus payouts and a cost-of-living increase, among other asks. The union also notes that FoMoCo wants to change how it handles worker absences, though it has admitted that such a thing isn’t currently an issue within the white collar ranks.
“Ford is acting out of corporate greed with its offers of one-off payments and variable bonuses. It is extremely profitable and can fully afford to put forward proper no strings pay offers for these workers,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. “Unite does not tolerate attacks on our members’ jobs, pay, or conditions and Ford’s salaried and managerial staff have their union’s full support.”
We’ll have more on this potential strike soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
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