Kentucky UAW Workers Reject Ford Contract Ratification

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Facts

  • Workers at two of Ford’s plants in Kentucky have voted against a proposed four-and-a-half-year contract that sought to end the high-profile labor dispute between the American automaker and its United Auto Workers (UAW) union laborers.1
  • The UAW Local 862 posted on its Facebook page that 55% of production workers voted against the ratification of the contract, while skilled trade workers — which include maintenance and construction employees — supported the contract at a rate of 69%.2
  • The Louisville Assembly Plant (LAP) and the Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP) employ 12K workers belonging to UAW Local 862, including 8.7K auto workers who went on strike for nearly four weeks before the deal was reached. The Louisville-area chapter holds 20% of the 57K UAW members who are set to vote on the landmark union agreement.3
  • Only 4,118 of the 9K eligible KTP workers voted, while half of the eligible LAP voters (1,648) voted. 54.5% of KTP voters said “no” to ratification, while 52.8% of LAP voters chose “yes.” The vote took place on Sunday between 9AM and 10PM; local elections will continue through mid-November.4
  • 70% of UAW workers supported the new labor agreement, but support has dropped to 65% after the Louisville vote. The record-breaking deal is being seen as a major loss for auto companies, with workers getting 25% salary increases under the terms of the contract, along with other benefits.5
  • Meanwhile, the UAW strike against the Big 3 US automakers — Ford, GM, and Stellantis, the latter the maker of Jeep and Chrysler — has been hailed as a victory for workers, but the tentative deal still requires a majority vote to be ratified and the strike to be resolved.3

Sources: 1CNBC, 2Reuters, 3ABC News, 4The Courier and 5WDRD.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by WDRB. While the tentative agreement between Ford and the UAW may have some meaningful pay raises and benefits on the surface, the deal does not adequately compensate long-time employees for all sacrifices dating back to the 2008 financial crisis. Most of the pay increases only make up for the losses incurred by workers over the last 15 years and the agreement also fails to take care of Ford retirees. Ford needs to step up its offer to end the strike for good.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Courier. Any Ford employee in Kentucky would be insanely unreasonable to reject the investment and benefits that come with the new UAW agreement. Employees will see a 25% increase in pay over the next four years and Ford will invest billions into the Louisville-area plants to continue growth. Ford is already taking major losses and labor cost increases as part of this deal, and meeting any further demands just isn’t possible.

Predictions