Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford has expressed concern about the ongoing strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW), stating that it threatens the future of the company and the American automotive industry. Ford, who has been involved in UAW negotiations for many years, urged union members and leaders to work together with the company to reach a tentative agreement and bring an end to the acrimonious talks. These comments from the great-grandson of Henry Ford are unusual during contract negotiations with the UAW.
Speaking at a press conference at the company’s Rouge Complex in Detroit, Ford emphasized the importance of choosing the right path for the future of Ford and the industry as a whole. He stated that the UAW’s leaders have labeled the company as the enemy, but he does not view employees as enemies and believes the focus should be on competing against foreign automakers rather than internal division.
Ford expressed a desire to elevate the conversation surrounding the contract negotiations and emphasized that personal animosity should not play a role. He highlighted the potential threat posed by foreign competitors such as Toyota, Honda, Tesla, and Chinese companies seeking to enter the American market.
The UAW has not yet responded to Ford’s comments. This comes after a week of challenging talks between the company and the union, including a surprise strike at Ford’s profitable Kentucky Truck plant. The strike has impacted over 19,000 UAW members, with more than 16,600 actively striking and around 2,480 employees laid off as a result.
Ford recently stated that it has reached the limit of what it can offer in terms of economic concessions. Its proposal included wage increases of 23% to 26% depending on job classification, retention of platinum healthcare benefits, ratification bonuses, the reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments, and other benefits.
Currently, only about 34,000 U.S. automotive workers, constituting approximately 23% of UAW members covered by expired contracts with Detroit automakers, are on strike. The UAW has been gradually increasing the number of strikes since negotiations failed to yield tentative agreements by the September 14 deadline.
UAW President Shawn Fain announced a new phase of targeted strikes in which they will no longer pre-announce work stoppages. However, Fain did not provide further details regarding the union’s strategy moving forward.
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