Detroit (WWJ) -- The UAW now confirms that its workers have voted down the concession deal with Ford.
A statement from UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Vice President Bob King said 70 percent of production workers and 75 percent in skilled trades voted to reject the agreement.
The union says it won't return to the bargaining table, but "our International Executive Board, staff, local union leadership and membership will continue to work with Ford on a daily basis in an effort to keep new products coming into our plants."
The concessions that were negotiated and rejected contained product commitments to insure long-term job security for Ford workers, according to the UAW.
Ford says it's disappointed that the contract modifications weren't ratified.
"The additional modifications we sought recently were designed to honor pattern bargaining and provide Ford with similar additional efficiencies as those ratified this year for our domestic competitors," Joe Hinrichs, Ford group vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, said in a statement.
In March, the UAW-Ford membership ratified changes to the 2007 UAW-Ford national labor agreement and the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association health care trust that went most of the way in moving Ford to competitive parity with foreign-owned automakers.
Ford said it "will work with the UAW to discuss the next steps to ensure Ford remains competitive so we can continue to make product commitments and invest in our manufacturing facilities here in the United States."
There are 41,000 Ford workers represented by the UAW.
The ratification announcement came just hours after Ford reported third quarter earnings of nearly one-billion dollars. Click here for that story.
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