(CBS DETROIT) – The United Auto Workers is threatening a strike at Ford’s most profitable plant if local contract issues aren’t resolved by next week.
On Friday, the UAW said that nearly 9,000 autoworkers at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant are prepared to strike at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 23 if local issues remain.
The local contracts differ from those that the UAW was striking over last year and deal with plant-specific issues.
“The core issues in Kentucky Truck Plant’s local negotiations are health and safety in the plant, including minimum in-plant nurse staffing levels and ergonomic issues, as well as Ford’s continued attempts to erode the skilled trades at Kentucky Truck Plant,” the UAW said in a release.
In addition, there are 19 other open local agreements across Ford and several at General Motors and Stellantis .
This comes after UAW President Shawn Fain criticized Ford CEO Jim Farley over his comments about thinking carefully about where the company builds vehicles in the future.