Ford lays off hundreds more workers amid UAW strike

Chicago, Illinois - Ford announced Monday that over 300 more workers have been temporarily laid off due to "knock-on effects" from the ongoing strike against the company and two other US automakers.

United Auto Workers members are holding the line in their historic Stand Up strike against the Big Three carmakers.
United Auto Workers members are holding the line in their historic Stand Up strike against the Big Three carmakers.  © REUTERS

The strike against the so-called "Big Three" car manufacturers – Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors – began on September 15 when a previous contract expired without a replacement.

Instead of calling for all of its 146,000 members to strike at once, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has deployed a targeted approach, adding more sites as the weeks drag on.

Around 25,000 members have so far been called to stop work.

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"Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW's targeted strike strategy has knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage," Ford said in a statement on Monday.

"Approximately 330 employees have been asked not to report to work," the statement added, saying the total number of "strike-related layoffs" at Ford now totaled 930.

Ford said its sites impacted by Monday's announcement were in Chicago, Illinois, and Lima, Ohio.

Stellantis and General Motors have also reduced staff at several sites, citing similar reasons.

Initially, the UAW called on some 13,000 members at the three automakers to stop work, then added another 5,600 a week later due to lack of progress in negotiations. A further 7,000 were added the following week to bring the total to some 25,000.

Cover photo: REUTERS

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