A clear majority of union workers at Ford’s two Louisville production plants have rejected a proposed new contract with the Detroit automaker, according to various media reports this morning.
More than 9,000 members of the United Auto Workers are employed at the Louisville Assembly Plant and the Kentucky Truck Plant. They voted yesterday on the proposed four-year labor deal, which was negotiated by the national UAW and Ford officials.
It included an $8,500 signing bonus for union workers and $1.3 billion in new Ford investments in the two local facilities. The local UAW 862 still has a message from national UAW leaders posted on its website urging workers to support the contract.
One longtime worker at Ford in Louisville told WDRB she thought the contract failed to provide anything new for legacy employees. Others reportedly said Ford has not returned concessions workers made at the start of the recession, including better cost-of-living adjustments, according to The Courier-Journal.
The proposed contract includes two 3 percent wage increases and two 4 percent lump-sum bonus payments in the next four years.
Voting continues through Friday nationwide. According to an analysis by the Detroit Free Press, slightly more than half of the 26,000 Ford workers who have cast votes so far have voted against ratification. To be ratified, the deal will need a majority of votes from UAW workers.
Featured image of Louisville Assembly Plant from Google Maps.
