The six-week-long United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against Ford and its Detroit Big Three counterparts was one filled with public jabs from both sides, largely back-and-forth comments between Blue Oval CEO Jim Farley and UAW President Shawn Fain. In fact, Fain went so far as to accuse Farley of lying about that process, and admitted that he wasn’t exactly his biggest fan during negotiations, either, though Farley later admitted that he was happy for union workers and the benefits they received as part of the new master contract. However, shortly after General Motors stated that this new deal could impact future jobs at the company, Farley hinted that the automaker will “think carefully” about where it will build vehicles moving forward. As one might imagine, those comments didn’t settle well with the UAW president, who posted his thoughts on the matter via X.
This contract was a major victory for working families across this country, and if Ford is upset about that, that tells you a lot about the leadership of this company. https://t.co/NoDqIkQDEK
— Shawn Fain (@ShawnFainUAW) February 16, 2024
We’re moving forward raising the standards across the industry from the Big Three to the non-union companies. We encourage Ford to stay focused on building the best auto industry in the world, and not on an endless race to the bottom.
— Shawn Fain (@ShawnFainUAW) February 16, 2024
“This contract was a major victory for working families across this country, and if Ford is upset about that, that tells you a lot about the leadership of this company,” Fain said. “Maybe Ford doesn’t need to move factories to find the cheapest labor on earth, maybe it needs to recommit to American workers and find a CEO who’s interested in the future of this country’s auto industry. We’re moving forward raising the standards across the industry from the Big Three to the non-union companies. We encourage Ford to stay focused on building the best auto industry in the world, and not on an endless race to the bottom.”
It’s clear from these comments – and Farley’s own – that while the two sides managed to find enough middle ground to forge a new contract, there’s still some tension remaining. In fact, just yesterday, Farley admitted that the relationship between Ford and the UAW changed as a result of those negotiations – perhaps for a long time, or even permanently. “Our reliance on the UAW turned out to be we were the first truck plant to be shut down,” the CEO said. “Really our relationship has changed. It’s been a watershed moment for the company. Does this have business impact? Yes.”
We’ll have more on the fallout of the new UAW contract with Ford soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford-UAW news, UAW news, and comprehensive Ford news coverage.
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