UAW expands strike to major Ford truck plant in Kentucky in shock move

The United Auto Workers union announced on Wednesday evening that 8,700 members at Ford Motor’s (NYSE:F) iconic and extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant have joined the strike against the Detroit automaker. The UAW it took the unexpected action after Ford (F) refused to make further movement with bargaining.

UAW President Shawn Fain called for the strike with no advance at the truck plant in a change of strategy that could mark a major escalation between the two sides. The Kentucky Truck Plant builds the Ford F-Series Super Duty, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The plant is reported to be Ford’s (F) largest in terms of employment and revenue.

In a statement provided to Seeking Alpha, Ford (F) said the decision by the UAW to call a strike at the Kentucky Truck Plant is “grossly irresponsible but unsurprising” given the union leadership’s stated strategy of keeping the Detroit 3 wounded for months through reputational damage and “industrial chaos.

Ford (F) maintained that it made an outstanding offer that would make a meaningful positive difference in the quality of life for its 57K UAW-represented workers, who is stated are already among the best compensated hourly manufacturing workers anywhere in the world.

“In addition to our offer on pay and benefits, Ford has been bargaining in good faith this week on joint venture battery plants, which are slated to begin production in the coming year,” read the company’s statement.