Less than a week after hourly workers at General Motors Co. in Detroit ratified their new contract, which ended a six-week strike, United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co. negotiators have reached a proposed tentative agreement on a new four-year deal with the Dearborn-based company.
The swiftness with which Ford and the union reached an accord can be credited to the work put in at the GM bargaining table since the UAW practices pattern bargaining. Details of the new contract will not be released until UAW members vote on the package.
“Our national negotiators elected by their local unions have voted to recommend to the UAW-Ford National Council the proposed tentative agreement,” says Rory Gamble, the UAW vice president responsible for Ford. “Our negotiating team worked diligently during the General Motors strike to maintain productive negotiations with Ford. The pattern bargaining strategy has been a very effective approach for UAW and its members to secure economic gains around salary, benefits and secured over $6 billion in major product investments in American facilities, creating and retaining over 8,500 jobs for our communities.”
Bill Dirksen, vice president of labor affairs at Ford, says, “Ford can confirm the UAW’s announcement that the UAW and Ford have reached a proposed tentative agreement on a four-year contract. Further details will be provided at a later date.”
The contract next will go before the UAW-Ford National Council which is expected to send it on to the membership for a ratification vote.
“Vice President Gamble, his staff, and the Ford negotiating team have worked tirelessly to reach an agreement that preserves job security and rewards UAW Ford members for their quality work,” says Gary Jones, president of the UAW. “These were long and hard hours, but I feel confident they were able to secure a contract that protects our member’s future.”
Ford has more U.S. hourly UAW-represented workers (55,461) than any other automaker.
