Ford Says Made Its Seventh And 'strongest' Offer To UAW

(RTTNews) - Ford Motor Co. (F) said it made its seventh and strongest offer to the United Auto Workers in an effort to reach a tentative agreement on a new master labor agreement through April 30, 2028. It is also promising no job losses due to EV battery plants.

About 25,000 UAW members have been on strike for nearly three weeks. The union has called on workers to strike at select Ford, General Motors Co. and Stellantis assembly lines and plants.

Ford said it has received two comprehensive counteroffers from the UAW, the last on September 25.

Ford said its latest offer provides its 57,000 UAW-represented employees with a record contract and a strong future. Ford's offer includes unprecedented improvements in wages--putting employees among the top 25% of all U.S. jobs, hourly and salaried--and benefits, product commitments for every UAW factory and job security.

"We've put an offer on the table that will be costly for the company, especially given our large American footprint and UAW workforce, but one that we believe still allows Ford to invest in the future," said Jim Farley, president and CEO, Ford Motor.

Ford noted that the union has taken a hard line on battery plants. The company remains open to the possibility of working with the UAW on future battery plants in the United States. However, these are multi-billion-dollar investments and must operate at competitive and sustainable levels.

Three of the four battery plants under construction are part of the BlueOval SK joint venture between Ford and SK On. The workforce for the operations has not been hired. The future employees at these operations can choose to be union represented and enter into the collective bargaining process, Ford said in a statement.

Ford said none of its employees, including powertrain employees, will lose their jobs due to its battery plants during this contract period. In fact, for the foreseeable future, the company will have to hire more workers as some workers retire, in order to keep up with demand for its ICE products.