Ford CEO Jim Farley has publicly criticized UAW President Shawn Fain and the UAW for holding up a fair contract deal. According to Farley, the UAW is using concerns about future battery plants as a bargaining chip, even though these plants won’t be operational for many years and have no workers yet to be organized. Farley emphasized that no current Ford workers will lose their jobs due to the battery plants and that the company will need to hire more workers in the future to meet demand. He also called on the UAW to work collaboratively with Ford to ensure competitiveness in the future. However, Fain responded by accusing Farley of lying about the negotiations and job security concerns, stating that Ford has not responded to the comprehensive proposal the UAW submitted.
In his criticism of the UAW and Fain, Farley highlighted the issue of the UAW using potential battery plants as a bargaining tool, despite their distant timeline. He emphasized that the battery plants do not currently exist and are still in the joint venture stage, with no workers employed. Farley reassured Ford workers that their jobs are secure and that the company will actually need to hire more workers in the future to meet the demand for new vehicles. The CEO called for collaboration between Ford and the UAW, expressing the need to work together to compete in the automotive industry.
Fain, in response, accused Farley of lying about the negotiations and failing to attend bargaining sessions. He stated that the UAW had submitted a comprehensive proposal to Ford but had not received a response. Fain pointed out the discrepancies between Farley’s statements and the core economic proposals, including job security concerns during the transition to electric vehicles. He expressed the UAW’s availability to negotiate a fair contract and called on Farley to specify a time and place for discussions.