Autoworkers threaten to strike again at Ford huge Kentucky truck plant

The United Auto Workers union is poised to initiate a strike next week at Ford Motor Co.’s largest and most lucrative facility due to a dispute over local contract language.

Announced on Friday, the union stated that nearly 9,000 workers at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville will stage a strike on Feb. 23 if the unresolved local contract issues persist.

Should a strike occur, it would mark the second instance of union action at the expansive factory within the past year. Last October, UAW members halted operations at the plant during national contract negotiations, which concluded with substantial pay raises for employees.

Autoworkers threaten to strike again at Ford huge Kentucky truck plant

Autoworkers threaten to strike again at Ford huge Kentucky truck plant

Situated in Louisville, the plant, one of Ford’s two facilities in the area, produces heavy-duty F-Series pickup trucks, as well as the Ford Excursion and Lincoln Navigator large SUVs, all of which are highly profitable for the company.

According to the union, workers have been without a local contract for five months, with key areas of contention revolving around health and safety protocols, minimum in-plant nurse staffing levels, ergonomic concerns, and the company’s attempts to decrease the number of skilled trades workers.

Ford has stated that negotiations are ongoing and expresses optimism about reaching a resolution at the plant.

The union has set the potential strike to commence at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 23, highlighting that negotiations for 19 other local agreements are underway with Ford, alongside several more with rivals General Motors and Stellantis.

Autoworkers threaten to strike again at Ford huge Kentucky truck plant

Autoworkers threaten to strike again at Ford huge Kentucky truck plant

This strike threat emerges following remarks made by Ford CEO Jim Farley at an analysts’ conference in New York, where he acknowledged that last fall’s contentious strike fundamentally altered Ford’s relationship with the union, prompting the automaker to carefully consider future manufacturing decisions.

Farley noted that despite Ford’s deliberate choice to manufacture all of its pickup trucks in the U.S., the Louisville factory was the first truck plant shut down by the UAW during last year’s strike. This is in contrast to rivals General Motors and Stellantis, which operate truck plants in both the U.S. and Mexico.

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