LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UAW President Shawn Fain gave his weekly strike update Friday and ripped into Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford following comments he made earlier this week.
Fain did not announce any new strikes, but addressed statements made by Ford during a news briefing Monday at the company's Rouge factory in Dearborn, Mich. Ford urged the union to end its strike of Ford facilities - including Louisville's Kentucky Truck Plant - and said the strike is hurting the American auto industry as a whole against foreign manufacturers.
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Fain pounced on those comments in his Friday live stream.
"Bill Ford said it should be the UAW and Ford against foreign automakers," Fain said. "I want to be crystal clear on one thing. The days of the UAW and Ford being a team to fight other companies are over. We won't be used in this phony competition."
Fain continued to say non-union autoworkers are "not the enemy" and thousands have reached out about gaining UAW membership in recent months.
On Monday, Ford said the economic impact of the strike will have lasting effects on the company. He even hinted plants could close.
"We'll lose factories like the one we're in here today," Ford said.
Those comments didn't sit well with Fain.
"For all their talk about wanting to invest in American jobs, they have the audacity to come to the Rouge and imply they might close it down," he said. "It's never going to be enough for these people. We've taken cutback after cutback. What do we have to show for it? 65 plants closed in 20 years. Jobs killed and standards gone."
In a statement, Ford said it's good the union president acknowledged the contract offer "remains the best one on the table."
"We know that our UAW employees are hurting in this prolonged strike because of lost wages and lost profit sharing," Ford said. "We’re eager to conclude these negotiations with a contract that meaningfully improves their lives and provides a strong future for everyone. We look forward to coming together to build a great company that supports good jobs for generations to come.”
According to Wells Fargo analysts, the strike at KTP could cost Ford $150 million a week. The plant is Ford's largest and most profitable, and one of the largest auto plants in the world.
Fain said Friday General Motors and Stellantis have matched Ford's proposal of a 23% wage increase for workers. However GM and Stellantis are further behind Ford's proposals on cost of living adjustments and other items.
"Meanwhile Ford continues to stew about KTP and pretend they can't afford what we're asking for," Fain said. "We took their biggest plant out and they haven't come back with anything new."
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