SHARONVILLE — Ford is set to lay off hundreds of workers at the Sharonville plant this week, according to Tod Turner, UAW Local 863 president.
Turner said the layoffs start Monday, Oct. 16, and roughly 300 workers in multiple departments across all three shifts, but primarily the midnight shift, will be impacted. A representative for Ford confirmed that 306 employees would be laid off effective Monday, and said the layoffs are a result of the strike at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville.
“There’s a level of anxiety every week, if we’re one of the locals that will be called on strike,” Turner said, “and now, with Kentucky Truck being out, there’s a different kind of effect. We’re not on strike. We will not be picketing at Sharonville.”
While workers at Sharonville’s Ford plant had not been called to join the strike as of Friday, 8,700 union members went on strike Wednesday at Louisville’s plant, which is Ford’s largest plant in the world. The Louisville plant’s assembly lines build multiple Ford vehicles, which then use transmissions from plants like Sharonville’s.
“As soon as it happened we knew our next couple days were going to get real busy here at the Sharonville plant,” Turner said.
Turner previously said he was surprised that the Sharonville plant wasn’t part of the strikes, especially because the Ford Sharonville Transmission Plant makes the transmission for one of the most popular vehicles in the world: the Ford F-250.
Workers at the General Motors Cincinnati Parts Distribution Center in West Chester were called to join the strike on Sept. 22.
Roughly 100 union members went on strike with that plant. GM’s website says 123 people work at the West Chester facility.
Turner is expecting many of those laid off in Sharonville to join the picket lines at the West Chester facility.
The nationwide strikes have targeted the Big Three — General Motors, Stellantis and Ford. UAW went on strike Sept. 15 when it couldn’t reach agreements on new contracts with the Big Three.
So far, more than 30,000 autoworkers have headed to the picket lines across the country.
According to Ford’s website, there are approximately 2,003 total workers at the Sharonville plant, and 1,752 of those are hourly employees.
Turner said UAW is planning to meet with the laid-off workers at 9 a.m. Tuesday. to discuss union pay while they’re laid off.
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