Will Ford Workers Approve Their New Contract?

Jimmy Settles, the United Auto Workers vice president in charge negotiating with Ford, is conducting an unusual press conference Wednesday at Ford’s largest union local in Dearborn, Michigan, to try to get out the yes vote.

In addition to Local 862 at the Louisville Assembly and Kentucky Truck plants, the deal has been voted down easily at an axle plant in Sterling Heights, Mich.; a stamping plant in Buffalo, New York; a parts plant in Ypsilanti, Mich.; and engine plants in Cleveland and Lima, Ohio.

The eyes of autoworkers nationwide turned to Louisville on Tuesday as almost 9,000 Ford Motor Co. hourly employees were called to vote on the proposed four-year national contract. 75% of workers have now voted on the proposed four-year contract.

“Contrary to what popular opinion is a few people, especially younger people, think you just go and open door number two and see if something is behind door number two. That is not how real negotiations go”.

The UAW can overrule a rejection by skilled trades workers if the union finds they voted against it for reasons that are predominantly economic and not unique to their classification.

For instance, 59 percent of skilled trades workers at GM’s Arlington plant have 30 years or more of service and could elect to retire at any point.

Kristin Dziczek, labor analyst at the Center for Automotive Research, said Ford is not likely to spend more money on a richer contract overall if the two sides return to the bargaining table. But according to reports in the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, close to a third of eligible workers have voted.

Stannard said that the announcement was not specifically related to UAW organizing efforts at Volkswagen’s assembly plant in Chattanooga. “For a legacy worker like me, I got paid $28 an hour for 12 years”.

One issue – nearly 3,000 workers in Louisville have hired on at a second-tier, or lower wage, during the past seven years. Combined, the two plants have 4,900 Ford workers, enough to cast doubt over whether the union will have enough support to get the contract approved.

The move has been in the works for months, but comes against the backdrop of scandal at Volkswagen, which has been the UAW’s chief target among foreign automakers in the U.S. Others reportedly said Ford has not returned concessions workers made at the start of the recession, including better cost-of-living adjustments.

It could also signal a new strategy for the UAW for gaining a foothold at other foreign manufacturers in the region, said Cornell University labor relations professor Richard Hurd.

“Listen, the plans that Ford is making with regard to product placement and product development – that is made well in advance of contract negotiations”.