Workers at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville join UAW strike
Surprise strike includes nearly 9,000 workers at the Kentucky Truck Plant
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) — Workers at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville have joined the UAW strike.
Workers began walking off the job at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in a significant escalation by the union.
The large F-Series pick-up trucks are made at the KTP. The trucks are among Ford’s most profitable vehicles. The plant also makes the Super Duty, another profitable vehicle for the automaker.
In a post to social media, the UAW International Union said “the 8,799 UAW members at Ford’s iconic and extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant have joined the Stand Up Strike after Ford refuses to make further movement in bargaining. Workers are walking off the job right now.”
KTP employs nearly 9,000 of the 12,000 Ford UAW workers in Louisville.
The strike comes as UAW workers picket against Ford, GM and Stellantis. The strike has been ongoing for nearly a month.
The union has steadily expanded the strike to more facilities in more states as negotiations continue. It’s asking for a near 40% pay hike in a new contract, among other things.
In a statement Wednesday, Ford called the decision by the UAW to strike at the KTP “grossly irresponsible but unsurprising.”
“The UAW leadership’s decision to reject this record contract offer — which the UAW has publicly described as the best offer on the table — and strike Kentucky Truck Plant, carries serious consequences for our workforce, suppliers, dealers and commercial customers,” Ford’s statement continued. “Kentucky Truck is Ford’s largest plant and one of the largest auto factories in America and the world. The vehicles produced at the Louisville-based factory — the F-Series Super Duty, the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator — generate $25 billion a year in revenue.
“This decision by the UAW is all the more wrongheaded given that Ford is the only automaker to add UAW jobs since the Great Recession and assemble all of its full-size trucks in America,” the statement concluded.
Governor Andy Beshear released a statement in response to the strike on social media on Wednesday night, saying “The UAW represents thousands of our hard-working families and Ford is an important employer in Kentucky. We need both a strong UAW and Ford. My hope is that they can reach an agreement quickly – one that works for both sides and moves everyone forward.”
Meanwhile, Beshear’s opponent in November’s gubernatorial race took to social media, blaming the strike on “Bidenomics.”
“Not even the members of the United Auto Workers can withstand the effects of Bidenomics. I hope the UAW and Ford can reach a swift resolution.”
Cameron continued, “Andy Beshear thinks our economy is doing just fine. Kentuckians know nothing could be further from the truth.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
