Ford in Talks With The UAW to Avoid Strike

It seems that Ford’s tensioned times with the UAW are not over yet, giving the fact that the automaker is still in talks with the United Auto Workers in order to avoid a strike and settle for a new labor deal.The gathering for UAW negotiations took place at one of Ford factories, where some tension could be felt between the blue pullover shirt-wearing workers and the dark suites executives.

Despite the tensed appearances both sides were a bit more optimistic. The manufacturer has not experienced a UAW strike since 1976, and also was the last of its fellow car manufacturers to start negotiations with the UAW, following close Chrysler on Monday and GM Co. on Wednesday. We’d also like to mention that the UAW can not strike at GM or Chrysler, and it has no interdiction in striking Ford.

As a relieving fact UAW President Bob King stated: "I don't think about strikes. We don't collectively think about strikes.” He said that the UAW might seek members permission to strike, but that is a well known routine and this is not the firs time the UAW applies such a strategy. Since the three Detroit based car manufacturers last negotiated labor deals the companies have bee pushed into financial crisis.

The drive factor was mainly the collapse of the vehicle demand. The GM corporation and Chrysler , now driven by Fiat, filed for bankruptcy but were helped out by the Obama administration in 2009. A notable fact is that Ford did not take any bailout money therefore mortgaging almost all its assets in late 2006 before the financial crisis hit.