UAW expands strike to Ford’s most lucrative plant

Thousands of auto workers on Wednesday evening walked off work at Ford Motor Company’s most profitable truck plant, located in Kentucky — a surprise move that expands the United Auto Workers' historic strike after negotiators had previously signaled promising progress with the company.

“We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a press release. “It’s time for a fair contract at Ford and the rest of the Big Three. If they can’t understand that after four weeks, the 8,700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it.”

The strike already spans dozens of facilities across the country with tens of thousands of workers having walked off the job. The union had previously excluded Ford in some of the strike's expansions, with Ford saying that the company had shown that it was “serious about reaching a deal.” And Ford had been seen as the company most likely to first cut a deal with the union.

But Fain now appears to think differently. A Ford official told reporters that the union requested a meeting Wednesday — which ended up lasting mere minutes — and Fain expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s proposals, leading to the strike. The expansion will also send a stark message to Stellantis and General Motors that more shocks could be headed their way if they don't make progress in negotiations with the union.

The Kentucky Truck Plant, located in Louisville, is Ford’s largest plant and one of the largest auto factories in the world, the company said. The plant produces some of the company’s most profitable products — pulling in $25 billion in yearly revenue — and derailment of its operations could have substantial effects on suppliers and other Ford facilities, the official said.

In a statement, Ford blasted the union’s move as “grossly irresponsible but unsurprising,” saying that it had made an offer that would represent a “meaningful positive difference” in the lives of the company’s 57,000 union employees.

“The 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,” the company said in a statement.

With its massive economic implications, the strike has the direct eyes of the country’s top politicians. Several members of Congress have visited striking autoworkers in plants across several states. President Joe Biden, in a historic show of solidarity, joined a Detroit picket line in late September. Former President Donald Trump, Biden’s likely competitor next year, rallied with auto workers a day later at a non-union location.

Last week, Fain signaled progress in the union’s talks as it opted not to expand the strike. UAW managed to extract from GM a promise to include electric battery manufacturing in its contract — which it hailed as “the foundation for a just transition.”

Fain will host a press conference Friday to announce potential further updates on the strike.

Nick Niedzwiadek and Olivia Olander contributed to this report.