Ford lays off more employees amid UAW strike, bringing total to nearly 1,800

Ford announced Friday it was laying off another 495 employees due to the United Auto Workers strike.

Most layoffs, 371, come from the Cleveland Engine Plant in Ohio. Another 94 employees were laid off from the Lima Engine Plant in Ohio, and 25 employees were laid off from the Sterling Axle Plant beginning on Oct. 5 through Oct. 9. This brings the total number of employees laid off since the start of the strike last month to 1,794.

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“While we are doing what we can to avoid layoffs, we have no choice but to reduce production of parts that would be destined for a plant that is on strike,” Vice President of Manufacturing and Labor Affairs for Ford Blue Bryce Currie said in a statement. “Strike-related layoffs are an unfortunate result of the UAW’s strategy.”

Ford has issued seven offers to its striking workers, the most recent being a wage in the range of the top 25% of all U.S. jobs, hourly and salaried. The offer also included job security, product commitments, and benefits.

“There’s no doubt our UAW workforce put us on their shoulders during the pandemic, and these same workers and their families were hit hard by inflation. We want to make sure our workers come out of these negotiations with two things – a record contract and a strong future,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “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.”  

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UAW has been on strike since Sept. 15. The last time the UAW went on strike was in 2019, and in those six weeks, the largest auto union in the nation cost GM $3.6 billion. This time, the union is striking against all of the Big Three Detroit automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.

The union boasts a membership of 400,000 in the United States. At the moment, only some of its members are on strike.