Ford’s Wayne Assembly among 3 plants targeted in plan to strike all 3 automakers
UAW President Shawn Fain announced Thursday the first wave of plants the union will strike across the Detroit Three automakers if a new labor agreement is not reached before midnight: Ford Michigan Assembly Plant (Final Assembly and Paint) in Wayne, Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio and General Motors Wentzville Assembly in Missouri.
Fain made the announcement during a 10 p.m. Facebook Live presentation. His comments come near the end of a day of last-minute bargaining across the Detroit automakers. The UAW has been negotiating with all three carmakers separately, yet simultaneously, since late summer.
“The world is watching. And the UAW is ready to stand up,” Fain said. “This is our defining moment.”
Stellantis makes its popular Jeep Wrangler, Wrangler 4xe hybrid and Jeep Gladiator SUVs at the Toledo Complex. Stellantis revealed the 2024 Jeep Gladiator earlier this week at the North American International Detroit Auto
Show. Overall U.S. sales for the brand were down 12% year to date through the second quarter with sales for the Gladiator down 29% to 27,326 and Wrangler sales down 15% to 84,642. But the Wrangler 4xe had its bestever quarter to date with total sales up 56% over same quarter last year.
At Michigan Assembly, formerly called Michigan Truck Plant, Ford builds the Ranger mid-size pickup and the Bronco SUV and Bronco pickup. Earlier in the evening, Michigan Assembly plant’s Facebook page had a profile post that read: “By the way Ford Motor Company...you may not agree with what we are fighting...but for ANY auto worker you may know and love...PRAY for our fight and RESPECT IT...its one thing for the companies we give our blood, sweat, time and tears to...to tell us we are not worth what we sacrifice daily...but for the people who have not even a general idea what we have given up to tell us we are not worth our fight, is disheartening.”
At Wentzville Assembly in Missouri, GM builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups and the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans. The plant is located about 40 miles west of St. Louis.