In an unannounced move, 8700 UAW members walked off the job today at 6:30 pm ET, shutting down Ford Motor’s (NYSE: F) Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. The strike was called by UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning after Ford refused to make further movement in bargaining. Previous strike expansions occurred at a deadline set in advance by the union. The move comes one day before the four-week mark since contracts expired at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. Local 862 members at Kentucky Truck make Ford Super Duty pickups as well as the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator SUVs. President Fain will host a Facebook Live at 10 am on, yes, Friday the 13th of October to provide bargaining updates and take further action if needed.
“We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “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 8700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it.”
“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.,” Ford said in a statement.
Kentucky Truck is Ford’s largest plant and one of the largest auto factories in America and globally. It is Ford’s most profitable plant in the U.S. by industry estimates. Other Ford plants with striking UAW members are in Lansing, MI and Chicago, IL.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
No Surprise as UAW Strikes at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant
In an unannounced move, 8700 UAW members walked off the job today at 6:30 pm ET, shutting down Ford Motor’s (NYSE: F) Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. The strike was called by UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning after Ford refused to make further movement in bargaining. Previous strike expansions occurred at a deadline set in advance by the union. The move comes one day before the four-week mark since contracts expired at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. Local 862 members at Kentucky Truck make Ford Super Duty pickups as well as the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator SUVs. President Fain will host a Facebook Live at 10 am on, yes, Friday the 13th of October to provide bargaining updates and take further action if needed.
“We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “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 8700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it.”
“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.,” Ford said in a statement.
Kentucky Truck is Ford’s largest plant and one of the largest auto factories in America and globally. It is Ford’s most profitable plant in the U.S. by industry estimates. Other Ford plants with striking UAW members are in Lansing, MI and Chicago, IL.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.