Ford employees back on the job as ratification vote nears
WAYNE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – On Sunday, the UAW National Ford Council will vote in Detroit on whether to send that deal to the entire membership.
Some Ford employees who were on the picket lines for 41 days were back at work on Friday.
Workers say team leaders and utility workers spent the day inspecting equipment and stations at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant to make sure everything is in working order to jump-start production.
The robocalls and texts UAW Local 900 members were waiting for started rolling out this morning.
"Very short and simple. The strike is over. We ask that you report back to work Monday at 6 a.m.," said Stacy Tompkins, a UAW Local 900 member.
Even though the assembly plant is kicking back up again, workers anticipate a slow start.
"We deal with a bunch of robots, so it's not going to be just, you know, a guy going in there and pushing the button or turning on the robot for it to start going. I mean, it hasn't been ran in over 40 days. So it needs way more, you know, attention, absolutely," said Holly Calderwood, a UAW Local 900 member.
Ford leaders told reporters Thursday that it may take them up to a month before they're back to full production. They also discussed their third-quarter earnings, in which the automaker made a $1.2 billion profit.
"They're in business to make money, and that's what they're supposed to do. That's why we were out here on strike to make sure we get our fair share," said Gary Herndon, a member of UAW Local 900.
But it has some members wondering if they could have gotten a higher pay raise if they held out longer– that said–there is some concern it may negatively influence the vote during the ratification process.
"Yes. Unfortunately, that's what we're worried about, is these 'no' people, you know, I believe that a lot of the folks that are going to vote no are just not 100% educated about what went on and what they gave us and then how long they fought for us," Calderwood said.
And so right now, a majority are urging fellow Ford UAW members to examine the tentative agreement when more specifics are released.
"They always show us the highlights. I want to see the lowlights. I want to see if we lost anything or have they changed anything that's going to affect me on a whole because I am only going to be there four more years, so I am waiting for that, you know, wage progression to move up, and then I'll be leaving. So, I want to make sure that I'm getting everything else. And I'm happy with it," Tompkins said.
Once details of the tentative agreement are shared, there will still be informational meetings with the different locals before a vote, so there's a good chance that we're looking at the ratification process wrapping up around Thanksgiving.
For more on the UAW strike, visit here.
