"The decision by the UAW to call a strike at Ford’s 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," Barbossa said on Wednesday.
"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."
Ford alleges to have presented a proposal intended to notably elevate the living standards of the 57,000 UAW-represented workers, who are among the highest-remunerated hourly manufacturing workers on a global scale.
"The UAW leadership’s decision to reject this record contract offer – which the UAW has publicly described as the best offer on the table – and strike Kentucky Truck Plant, carries serious consequences for our workforce, suppliers, dealers and commercial customers," Barbossa added.
According to the statement, Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant, a paramount auto factory situated in Louisville, and producer of prominent models like the F-Series Super Duty, Ford Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator that bring forth $25 billion in annual revenue, faces significant ramifications with its strike.
It's expected the strike will affect 9,000 direct employees and endanger associated operations which employ over 100,000 people.