Ford lays off another 400 people following the previous day
About 75,000 workers in the medical industry also went on strike.
Following the strike of Hollywood writers and actors, the strike of the United Auto Workers (UAW) is showing signs of prolonging due to a series of additional layoffs by the management. In addition, tens of thousands of workers in the medical industry have gone on strike, and it appears that many parts of the United States are suffering from labor-management conflicts.
According to foreign media such as CNN Business on the 4th (local time), Ford announced that it would lay off about 400 additional workers at two plants in Michigan. Ford said, “The layoffs are the result of a strike at the Chicago assembly plant,” adding, “These two plants have been forced to reduce production of delivery parts.” The Chicago assembly plant produces the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUV.
The previous day, Ford also announced that it had laid off an additional 330 workers at its plants in Chicago and Lima. Ford also explained that this was in response to the UAW’s decision to strike at the Chicago assembly plant. Ford previously fired about 600 workers at its Michigan plant last month when the UAW went on strike.
With today’s layoffs, the number of workers laid off by Ford reached approximately 1,300.
The day before, General Motors (GM) also announced that it had laid off 164 workers at its plants in Parma, Ohio, and Marion, Indiana. “We have said repeatedly that no one can win a strike, and this proves that once again,” GM said in a statement. Previously, GM also fired about 2,000 workers at five plants after the UAW’s strike began last month.
The UAW is showing strong opposition to the company’s series of additional layoffs.
When GM and Ford announced additional layoffs the day before, the UAW reiterated their previous statement. Previously, the UAW said in a statement, “If the Big Three (GM, Ford, and Stellantis) decide to fire people who do not participate in the strike, they are trying to put pressure on our members.” “There is no need to fire anyone,” he said.
In particular, the UAW is showing confidence that it will be financially well-off even if strikes and layoffs continue. The UAW is already paying $500 (about 680,000 won) per week to more than 25,000 union members who are on strike against the Big Three. Union members who have been laid off to date will also receive similar amounts. These expenses will cost the UAW approximately $14.3 million (approximately KRW 19.5 billion) per week. The UAW’s strike fund is known to be about $825 million (about 1.1226 trillion won).
Meanwhile, about 75,000 workers in the health and medical industry also went on strike for three days starting today.
The organization going on strike is the union of Kaiser Permanente, the largest non-profit private medical service provider in the United States. Kaiser Permanente provides medical services to approximately 13 million patients across the United States and operates 39 hospitals and more than 600 clinics. Foreign media outlets, including CNN, reported that this strike was the largest medical worker strike in U.S. history.
It is said that labor and management continued negotiations that day, but did not reach an agreement. The union is demanding fair wages to reduce job turnover and improved labor and treatment environments through additional manpower.
This strike is scheduled to last until the 7th, but the union is warning that a “longer and stronger strike” could occur next month if an agreement is not reached with management.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.