Protesters from the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and its new president Shawn Fain on September 4, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives/BILL PUGLIANO)
Ford CEO Jim Farley said Tuesday evening he was still optimistic about the chances of avoiding a strike, while stressing that there were “limits” to what the American automaker could accept.
“We are optimistic that we can find a solution in the next 48 hours,” Jim Farley said of negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on collective bargaining agreements.
“We’re very prepared for (a) strike and I know the UAW is too, but we don’t want one,” the official told reporters after a launch event at the trade fair. of Detroit Automotive.
Detroit auto giants Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are in difficult negotiations with the UAW to renew workers’ collective agreements for four years, which expire Thursday evening.
New UAW President Shawn Fain has indicated that the union could call employees of the three manufacturers to strike in the absence of an agreement.
Ford made a third offer Tuesday that the UAW described as “a significant improvement,” and the “most generous” the group has made in 80 years, according to Shawn Fain.
The offer includes salary increases, inflation protection measures, 17 days of vacation and higher retirement contributions.
But the group must also “protect (…) its future investments and the group’s profitability”, underlined the Ford boss. “We are fighting for the future of automobile manufacturing in our country,” he warned.
Requests, such as a 32-hour week, or a four-day week, are not reasonable, according to the manager.
Ford’s teams will work “day and night for the next 48 hours” to obtain an agreement, he assured.
Ford kicked off the Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday evening with a new version of its F-150 pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the United States for several decades, and a model entirely assembled in the United States.
The automaker announced it would double production of its F-150 hybrid, following a 33 percent jump in sales of hybrid vehicles in the last three months from a year ago, said John Emmert, general manager of Ford Trucks. for North America.
© 2023 AFP
Did you like this article ? Share it with your friends using the buttons below.
