Title: United Auto Workers Union Escalates Strike, Shuts Down Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant
Subtitle: Union demands fair contract at Ford and other automakers as negotiations hit a deadlock
Louisville, Kentucky – In a surprising move, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union ordered workers at Ford’s largest plant, the Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP), to go on strike, escalating their ongoing labor dispute. The strike, which began late Wednesday night, halted production at the facility that plays a crucial role in Ford’s vehicle lineup.
The Kentucky Truck Plant is responsible for manufacturing some of Ford’s most important vehicles, including the heavy-duty versions of its F-Series pickup trucks and its full-size SUVs. The annual revenue generated by the vehicles produced at KTP amounts to a staggering $25 billion, accounting for approximately one-sixth of Ford’s overall global revenue.
“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 8,700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it.”
The decision to expand the strike to the Kentucky Truck Plant came after a negotiation session with Ford that lasted only a few minutes. Despite the union’s expectation of a new economic offer, the company presented the same offer it had made weeks earlier – a move that failed to appease the UAW. Fain conveyed his disappointment, stating, “If that’s all you got, you just lost KTP.”
This escalation in the strike against Ford follows the expanding strike against General Motors and Stellantis, as the UAW fights for better wages, benefits, and job security. Since September 15, the union has been on strike, targeting multiple facilities. However, this is the first time an expansion has occurred without prior public warning.
The consequences of the strike’s expansion reach far beyond just the Kentucky Truck Plant. By shutting down KTP, approximately a dozen other Ford operations and numerous supplier operations employing over 100,000 people are at risk.
Ford, expressing its disappointment in the union’s decision, stated, “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.”
Amid hopes for progress in the negotiations, especially concerning the automakers’ transition to electric vehicles, the UAW remains concerned about potential job losses at union-represented engine and transmission plants. The union’s demands include securing jobs in the growing nonunion battery factories.
As the strike continues, both sides must find common ground to reach a resolution that satisfies the needs and demands of the workers, the company, and the industry as a whole. Until then, the shutdown of the Kentucky Truck Plant serves as a symbolic display of the UAW’s determination to secure fair contracts and protect its members’ livelihoods.