Bill Ford on UAW strike: 'We can stop this now,' urges focus on nonunion automakers

Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Co. warned Monday that the ongoing UAW strike campaign against Ford and the other Detroit Three automakers is hurting them against nonunion competitors including Toyota, Honda, Tesla and growing Chinese automakers.

"I've also been the most pro-union leader in our industry," Ford said in a news briefing at the Rouge factory complex in Dearborn. "On my watch, Ford is the only automaker to add UAW jobs over the last 15 years. ... Ford is the strongest partner the UAW has ever known. These are choices we've made. And it's added costs to our business in an industry that is extraordinarily competitive. ... Every set of negotiations has been challenging. But at the end of the day, we've always recognized that we're all Ford and we will succeed or fail together."

Ford, the former CEO and great-grandson of the company's founder, urged the UAW to stop the strike against Ford and its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Chicago Assembly Plant in Illinois and Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville that has resulted in some 19,000 workers out of work -- either striking or being laid off from Ford facilities because of the strike impact on production disruption.

He noted that he hasn't spoken publicly on the negotiations to date.

"We can stop this now," Bill 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 noted Ford's history of assisting in war efforts by building boats, tank parts and engines and later making COVID-19 personal protection equipment for frontline health workers and others during the deadly pandemic. A good manufacturing base is critical to our national security, he said.

Building things in America matters now more than ever, Ford said, especially in these uncertain times.

"After 120 years, Ford is still a family company," Ford said. "This is deeply personal to me. When the TV cameras turn off, I'll still be there. I'm only the fourth member of my family to lead this company. I always take the long view. I'm working for a bright future, not just for my children and grandchildren but for the hundreds of thousands" who count on Ford.

This fight should not be Ford versus the UAW, Bill Ford said.

"Today, as the UAW strike against Ford continues, we are at a crossroads. Choosing the right path isn't just about Ford's future and our ability to compete. This is about the future of the American automobile industry. The UAW leaders have called us the enemy in these negotiations. But I will never consider our employees as enemies."

Competitors including Toyota, Honda and Tesla "are loving this strike," Ford said. "They will win and all of us will lose."

Ford made clear the industry is at a critical point.

"This is why Ford investment in the future isn't just a talking point, it's the absolute lifeblood of our company. And if we lose it, we will lose to the competition. America loses. Many jobs will be lost. So will future investments. ... Communities will suffer greatly."

Ford is the longest serving automotive leader in the industry and has been part of every UAW negotiation since 1982, he said.

He did not discuss in detail the pending contract proposal with the UAW, except to say it was a record deal with unprecedented wages and benefits.

Shawn Fain responds to Bill Ford

UAW President Shawn Fain released a statement nearly four hours after Ford's morning remarks at the Ford Rouge Visitor Center on Miller Avenue in Dearborn.

“Bill Ford knows exactly how to settle this strike. Instead of threatening to close the Rouge, he should call up (Ford CEO) Jim Farley, tell him to stop playing games and get a deal done, or we’ll close the Rouge for him," Fain said. "It's not the UAW and Ford against foreign automakers. It's autoworkers everywhere against corporate greed. If Ford wants to be the all-American auto company, they can pay all-American wages and benefits. Workers at Tesla, Toyota, Honda, and others are not the enemy—they're the UAW members of the future."

Autoworker union pay:UAW Strikes: How does autoworker union pay compare to other hourly jobs?

When questioned about how Bill Ford threatened to close the Rouge, the UAW cited to the Detroit Free Press the moment Ford talked about the economic impact of the strike on automakers and long term consequences, specifically if companies fail to have enough money for future investments. He said, "We'll lose factories like the one we're in here today."

Yet Ford has poured money into the Rouge in recent years, including $700 million to expand the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center this year to improve production capacity for the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup. Dearborn Truck will build the new 2024 F-150, which was revealed at the North American International Detroit Auto Show. Bill Ford, during his remarks on Monday, emphasized that people had urged him to close the plant in the past and he did not, a point of pride he also highlighted in 2018 with the 100th anniversary of the historic Rouge site.

Ford has told the Free Press repeatedly that the company has included in its 2023 UAW contract offer a guarantee of products for all its U.S. plants. Ford confirmed that detail again on Monday.

On Sept. 29, Farley said the UAW was holding Ford hostage in ongoing negotiations over battery plants under construction. Last Thursday, Ford Blue President Kumar Galhotra said that Ford has reached its limit financially in its proposals for a new labor contract with the union.

UAW President Shawn Fain says Ford hasn’t moved far enough in its negotiations.

In recent months, the company has emphasized its commitment to the UAW and collaboration, a shift from a once violent history between Ford and UAW members.

Better progress with union deals in Canada lately

Meanwhile in Canada, Ford workers and General Motors workers have ratified their labor contracts over the past three weeks during traditional pattern bargaining. Stellantis is next up there.

This is the first time the UAW has launched a targeted strike on all three automakers at once while negotiating with all at once. Striking nationally began Sept. 15 with plants at all three automakers followed by GM and Stellantis parts warehouses. Just last week, the UAW ordered its members to walk out of Ford's critically important Kentucky Truck Plant.

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on the site formerly known as Twitter @phoebesaid.

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on the site formerly known as Twitter @phoebesaid.