LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The final embers of the local UAW strike fell on Thursday.
Ash and smoke filled the air as union members dumped the burn barrels from the dismantled picket line.
Local 862 president Todd Dunn spoke in the gymnasium at the union hall on Chamberlain Lane.
"My grandfather always told me, 'leave it better than you found it, son,'" he said. "And with this, I think we've done that."
He's talking about a tentative agreement he described as historical and "worth more than the gains in the last four contracts." Its details include a 25% wage increase over four-and-a-half years, a more starting pay and the return of Cost of Living Adjustments (or COLA)—which the union gave up to help Ford during the 2008 recession.
Dunn is headed to Detroit Sunday to meet with the national UAW. It's also when union members are expected to receive more of the contract to review.
Down the road at Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP), Herbert Dominguez, a seven-year union member, came by the parking lot. There wasn't a lot to see except a mostly-empty parking lot and leftover porta-potties from the strike. He still doesn't know exactly when he'll come back to the paint line.
"As long as there's no picket lines, I'm good," he said, excited about the return to work.
WHAS11 News asked if he knew when he would be back.
RELATED: General Motors and Stellantis in talks with United Auto Workers to reach deals that mirror Ford's
"They can't just bring us all in at the same time," he said, "I'm thinking it's gonna be stages by stages."
His union president figured the same, saying it would take time for production to ramp up over the next week at the truck plant.
Union members still need to vote on the tentative agreement. Dunn said we can expect the election locally on Nov. 12, but they're still figuring out where to hold it.
Workers will need to vote in-person for this ballot. It's a process that usually lasts all day.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.