LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Ford’s 57,000 UAW workers were on the verge Friday of ratifying their four-year labor deal with the automaker.
While not all UAW locals had reported votes as of Friday afternoon, the deal looked all-but sealed with 68% approval among the 34,657 hourly workers who have voted so far. A UAW spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
Of Ford’s two-dozen manufacturing sites across the Midwest, workers at Louisville’s Kentucky Truck Plant and Louisville Assembly Plant were the least approving of the deal, according to the UAW’s vote tracker.
Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford’s largest manufacturing facility, was the only plant to register a majority vote against the contract, while workers at Louisville Assembly narrowly approved it.
Turnout among UAW Local 862 members was down significantly from previous years, as WDRB reported earlier this week. Some speculated that those who were against the deal were motivated to show up Nov. 12 to vote.
Kentucky Truck Plant worker Tamekya Barbour, 43, said the deal had “some good points” but didn’t deliver the traditional pension plan that she had hoped for. UAW officials acknowledged they failed restore pensions for workers hired after 2007, but touted significant increases in the 401(k)-style plans available to workers like Barbour.
"I just feel like a little bit more stability in retirement would be great for all of us," said Barbour, who voted against the deal.
The deal entitles UAW workers to base-wage increases of 11% in the first year, growing to 25% by 2028; a nearly 40% hike in company retirement contributions and a shorter, three-year path from hire to top wages, among other wins for the UAW.
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