Oct. 12 (UPI) — The United Auto Workers union expanded its strike Wednesday night in a last-minute move, as it ordered nearly 9,000 workers at Ford’s largest plant to walk off the job. Ford called the walk-out at its Kentucky Truck Plant “grossly irresponsible.”
“We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message,” UAW President Shawn Fain announced after hearing Ford’s latest offer Wednesday. “We’re not gonna wait around forever.”
“If Ford can’t get that after four weeks on strike, these 8,700 workers shutting down their biggest plant will help them understand it,” Fain announced late Wednesday night in a video post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
We’re not gonna wait around forever.
“We came here today to get another offer from Ford. Unfortunately, this offer was the exact same offer they gave us two weeks ago. In our position, they are not taking us serious. We’ve been very patient, working with the company on this. At the end of the day, they have not met expectations,” Fain said.
Thousands of workers, who were scheduled to start their shifts at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night, shut down the truck plant in Louisville after union officials informed them it was time to walk out over what they called a lack of progress.
The UAW also sent an alert to workers at 5:44 p.m., which said: “BREAKING: The 8,700 UAW members at Ford’s iconic and extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant have joined the Stand Up Strike after Ford refuses to make further movement in bargaining.”
“Workers are walking off the job right now,” the alert said.
“We’re being chosen to be the next arm of leverage in an international strike,” Todd Dunn, president of UAW Local 862, told reporters. “We’re being called on by our leadership. It’s time to stand up and do our duty.”
Local 862 is shutting it down at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant! Workers have now walked off the job and are joining the Stand Up Strike!#StandUpUAW pic.twitter.com/NVqlbunZMH— UAW (@UAW) October 11, 2023
Ford’s Kentucky Truck plant builds the Ford F-Series Super Duty, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. The plant is one of the largest auto factories in the world and accounts for $25 billion a year in revenue, according to Ford which issued a statement shortly after the walkout.
“The decision by the UAW to call a strike at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant is grossly irresponsible, but unsurprising given the union leadership’s stated strategy of keeping the Detroit 3 wounded for months through ‘repetitional damage’ and ‘industrial chaos,'” the company said.
“This UAW leadership’s decision to reject this record contract offer — which the UAW has publicly described as the best offer on the table — and strike Kentucky Truck Plant, carries serious consequences for our workforce, suppliers, dealers and commercial customers,” Ford said.
On Monday, 4,000 UAW workers walked off the job in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida, after rejecting a new pay deal from Mack trucks.
Auto workers across the United States have been striking against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis since Sept. 15, over pay and profit-sharing.
“It’s unfortunate that the company’s put us in this position, but they made it happen,” Fain said. “It’s on them. They have to own it.”