Is there labor trouble on the horizon at Ford? Workers at a Kansas City assembly plant are in the middle of a strike authorization vote, although the local union president says the vote is a "formality."
WWJ's Jeff Gilbert reports the vote comes just weeks after workers at the plant rejected the national concessions deal by a 92 percent margin.
Reports say there is tension at the plant as the company rebalances production, which has meant changes in job requirements and an increase in disciplinary actions.
There are just over 3,700 workers at the plant, where the F-150 pickup and Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Sport Utility Vehicles are built.
Union leaders say workers are concerned about possible job cuts.
“This (vote) is more of a formality that’s part of the process,” UAW Local 249 president Jeff Wright told the Kansas City Star. “I’m confident we can get this resolved without a work stoppage.”
The strike authorization vote gives the union the power to call a strike, something Ford hasn’t had to deal with in more than 20 years.
Talks with plant management are continuing and no deadline for a job action has been set.
Ford says the strike-authorization vote is part of the process of resolving problems at local plants.
Click here for more automotive news.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
