Ford Motor Co., Stellantis lays off workers, says dismissals are ‘direct result’ of UAW strikes

Following the expanded United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis announced Thursday that they are laying off additional workers from two plants as a “direct result” of the ongoing strikes.

“This layoff is a consequence of the strike, because Sterling Axle Plant must reduce its production of parts that would normally be shipped to Kentucky Truck Plant,” a Ford Motor Co. spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The Ford said that the 150 layoffs at the Sterling Axle plant in Michigan brought the total number of dismissals to 418 workers at the Michigan plant. There have been a total of 2,730 layoffs from Ford Motors since the beginning of the UAW strike.

The additional workers being laid off comes just three days after the automaker announced that they were laying off 550 workers from six plants. Weeks before, on Oct. 11, the labor union ordered 8,700 Ford employees to walk off their jobs unannounced, shutting down Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. 

The company has blamed the layoffs for the continued UAW strikes, such as the walkout in Louisville, that “directly impacted operations.”

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“Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW’s targeted strike strategy has knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage,” a Ford spokesperson said. “In this case, the strike at Kentucky Truck Plant has directly impacted some operations at Sterling Axle Plant.”

Similarly, Stellantis announced that they were laying off an additional 100 workers due to the UAW’s recent strike at Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio.

“The UAW’s decision to take strike action at the Toledo Assembly Complex (TAC), has now resulted in further temporary layoffs,” the automaker announced in a press release. 

The TAC provide parts for the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Wrangler 4xe, and Jeep Gladiator, Stellantis said. 

The layoffs will go into effect Oct. 23, bringing the total number of plant employees impacted to 170, the automaker said.

The strike, which began on Sept. 15, has resulted in thousands of layoffs at Detroit’s Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — as the strike continues without an agreed upon resolution. 

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Total strike-related layoffs have now reached around 6,000 at GM, which has been the hardest hit by the strike. Ford has laid off a total of 2,730 workers since the strike began, and Stellantis has laid off 1,520 workers.

Another 16,600 Ford employees are on strike at three assembly plants, including Kentucky Truck, the company’s largest plant worldwide.

UAW President Shawn Fain says the strike will continue until agreements are made.

Stellantis and the UAW did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.