Bill Ford calls on UAW workers to end strike against U.S. automakers

Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. executive chair Bill Ford called on the United Auto Workers union to make a deal to end the strike, saying the company wants to come together with a mutually beneficial deal.

The great-grandson of the automaker's founder urged the union to end strikes at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Chicago Assembly Plant in Illinois and Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville affecting more than 19,000 workers.

"We can stop this now," Ford said. "We need to come together to bring an end to this acrimonious round of talks. I still believe in a bright future, one that we can build together. I still believe the automobile industry is a major force for good in our country."

He added that the current union disruptions are putting the so-called "Big Three" automakers -- Ford, General Motors and Stellantis -- behind nonunion shops and Asian automakers.

"The UAW's leaders have called us the enemy in these negotiations. But I will never consider our employees as enemies," Ford said. "This should not be Ford versus UAW. It should be Ford and the UAW versus Toyota and Honda, Tesla and all the Chinese companies that want to enter our home."

Ford's comments came after UAW President Shawn Fain on Friday said that the union had entered a new phase of the strike and will no longer wait until Fridays to call more workers out but instead may do so at any time.

The most recent expansion on Wednesday added the Kentucky plant in a move that Ford Motors had called "grossly irresponsible," while warning that the UAW's decision to reject its latest offer would carry serious consequences.

That proposal included wage increases from 23% to 26%; retention of platinum health care benefits; ratification bonuses; reinstatement of cost-of-living; and other benefits.

The company has not since extended a new offer.