The UAW Wednesday night called on 8,700 of its union workers to walk off the job at Ford's biggest plant as part of the Stand Up Strike against the Big Three automakers - General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.
Local 862 shut down its Ford Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. bringing the total number to about 33,700 union workers striking across the country.
On the decision to strike, UAW president Shawn Fain said Wednesday's offer from Ford was "the exact same offer" given two weeks ago, with a concern that Ford is "not taking us seriously."
This latest move hits the one-month mark on Thursday with another threat to Stellantis made just hours after Wednesday's walk out at the Ford plant. Fain in an X post, set the standard for talks with Stellantis to be "more productive than Ford" on Wednesday.
Ford released a statement in response to Wednesday's walk out, saying in part:
"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 'reputational damage' and 'industrial chaos.'"
Ford went on to say its offer would've made progress in the lives of its 57,000 UAW-workers at the Kentucky plant, which produces the F-Series Super Duty, the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator, generating $25 billion a year in revenue.
The UAW’s demands include substantial pay raises, ending the two-tiered pay structure, and restoration of certain benefits. UAW President Shawn Fain had pushed for 40 percent pay increases over four years and four-day, 32-hour work week.
Days before the strike at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant, about 3,900 UAW members walked out at Mack facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida, who were rejecting an offer that included a 10 percent general wage increase in year one for all employees; a compounded 20 percent increase to general wages over five years; and a guarantee of no increases in health insurance premiums through the term of the contract.
This article originally appeared on FleetMaintenance.com
