“Every set of negotiations has been challenging. But at the end of the day, we’ve always recognized that we’re all Ford and we will succeed or fail together. We know how vital the UAW is to the success of our company. And we want our employees to do well. We didn’t wait for the current contract talks to create thousands of jobs or invest billions of dollars beyond what was required by the letter of a deal. And we agree that our UAW colleagues deserve even more and that’s why we’ve offered a record contract. Which would make our UAW employees among the best paid manufacturing workers in the world,” Ford said.

“Despite this, the UAW leaders decided to escalate and strike our Kentucky truck plant last week. Shutting down that plant harms 10s of thousands of Americans right away. Workers, suppliers and dealers alike, it hurts the communities that depend on these locally. Economies, if it continues, it will have a major impact on the American economy and devastate local communities. The supply base is very fragile, and we’ll start collapsing with an expanded strike. But it doesn’t have to go that way.

“We can stop this now and I call on my great UAW colleagues, some of whom I’ve known for decades, many are close personal friends. We need to come together to bring an end to this acrimonious round of talks. I still believe in a bright future, one that we can build together. I still believe the automobile industry is a major force for good in our country and we will continue to be there when America needs us most.

“Ford has strong leaders, and the best product lineup we’ve ever had, and a talented workforce. This is an incredible chapter in Ford’s history. If we seize this moment, it will mean jobs, profit sharing and security. And growth and prosperity for all of us. But the price of failure should be clear to everyone as well. Let me close with this. After 120 years, Ford is still a family company. Unlike the pundits and politicians who’ve been weighing in on this conversation. This is deeply personal to me. When the TV cameras turn off, I’ll still be here,” Bill Ford, the great grandson of company founder Henry Ford, concluded.