LOUISVILLE, Ky. — All United Auto Workers (UAW) at Louisville's Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP) walked off the job at 6:30 Wednesday night and joined the nationwide UAW strike against the Big Three automakers.
According to a post on social media from the UAW, the 8,700 members have "joined the Stand Up Strike after Ford refuses to make further movement in bargaining."
It came by surprise when the Local 862 president, Todd Dunn, received a call from the national UAW president at 5:38 p.m. wanting KTP to join the strike.
“They’re behind us and they said were calling on Kentucky Truck Plant to stand up and we're dialed in," Dunn said.
In August, union members practiced a picket line, hoping for better pay and benefits before the contract expired Sept. 15.
“We all want to get back to work we all want to get a contract, it’s time for Ford Motor Company to come rest their way to the table and work with our national negotiators,” Dunn said.
Although they didn’t want to strike, workers like David Firkins said they hope this catches Ford’s attention.
“So by shutting this plant down it’s just showing Ford that we’re not playing around no more, we gave concessions and they never gave back; we’re wanting a fair days work for a fair days pay,” Firkins said.
In a statement from the automaker, a spokesperson called the strike "grossly irresponsible but unsurprising given the union leadership’s stated strategy."
They said the company has been bargaining in good faith this week on the joint venture battery plants "which are slated to begin production in the coming year."
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.
Striking workers will receive $500 a week from the union’s strike pay fund. By contrast, anyone who is laid off would qualify for state unemployment aid, which, depending on a variety of circumstances, could be less or more than $500 a week.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg released the following statement Wednesday night:
I continue to support the members of UAW Local 862 as they work to ensure fair wages, good benefits and a strong future for their members. It is my hope that both Ford leadership and the UAW can quickly come to an agreement which is mutually beneficial.
Since the start of the strike, the three Detroit automakers have laid off roughly 4,800 workers at factories that are not among the plants that have been hit by the UAW strikes.
KTP produces the F-Series Super Duty, the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator.
The Louisville plant is Ford's largest in terms of workforce. The products manufactured equal $25 billion a year in revenue for the company.
Ford is the fourth-largest employer in Louisville, according to the chamber of commerce.
The plant opened in 1969 and is situated on 500 acres. The F-series has been the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. for over 40 years.
Thousands of UAW members at facilities across the United States have been on strike since mid-September.
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