LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The nationwide United Auto Workers strike hit Louisville Wednesday night when 8,700 workers walked off the job at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant.
The UAW's decision to expand the strike to this facility could have a massive impact on the company.
KTP is Ford's largest plant in the world in terms of workforce, and one of the largest automobile plants on the planet. The products manufactured there - the F-Series Super Duty, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator - account for about $25 billion in annual revenue.
According to Ford's statement, the work stoppage will lead to "painful aftershocks," and put at risk 13 additional Ford plants and many more supplier facilities that employ over 100,000 people.
There are 13 plants interconnected with KTP. Facilities as far away as Buffalo and Chicago feed KTP, which then feeds Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant and the Ohio Assembly Plant near Cleveland.
The interactive map below shows which plants feed into KTP:
The strike at KTP, Ford's most profitable plant, will cost the company $150 million a week in profit, according to Wells Fargo analysts.
It's possible workers at other plants impacted by the strike at KTP could be laid off, which has happened in other areas, such as northwest Ohio where Jeep workers in Toledo have been on strike since mid-September.
The strike at the Chicago Assembly Plant is directly impacting operations at the Sterling Axle Plant near Detroit, according to Ford.
Dealerships could also be affected if vehicle supply runs low. The Navigator is responsible for more than 20% of Lincoln sales, and the F-series has been best-selling vehicle in the U.S. since 1981.
Ford released a statement Thursday night, 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.'"
UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement that the union is tired of waiting.
“We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message,” Fain said. “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.”
In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Fain said UAW leadership hoped to make progress Wednesday at the bargaining table. However, he said the proposal put forth by Ford was the same one proposed two weeks ago.
Wednesday's move brings the total number of UAW members on strike in the U.S. to 34,000, which is nearly a quarter of its total membership. Among the UAW's demands at 40% wage increases, cost of living adjustments, shorter work weeks and better benefits.
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