Hi folks, my name is Kevin Veale. I'm a Senior Lecturer in Media Studies and fiction author.

https://wheretofind.me/@krveale

"He/Him." Tangata Tiriti. Pakeha.

I'm into a wide variety of popular culture stuff in lots of different media forms, some of which I write about academically. I reshare stuff that amuses me, post random thoughts or resources, and generally hang out.


cohostunionnews
@cohostunionnews

After what appeared to be productive movement toward UAW's demands at the company, the union has once again decided that talks with Ford aren't moving fast or seriously enough. Yesterday the union expanded the ongoing strike by walking out what Ford effectively says is its most productive, most revenue-producing automotive plant. 8,700 workers at Kentucky Truck—which according to Ford, produces vehicles that bring in $25 billion a year in revenue—have now joined the others on strike, bringing the total workers out on picket lines to 34,000.

Automotive News reports that the meeting which led to the walkout went as follows:

Wednesday afternoon, the union informed Ford it wanted a new counteroffer on economics by 5 p.m., then called for a 5:30 p.m. meeting at Ford headquarters attended by the UAW’s entire bargaining committee, including Fain and other top officials.

When the company said it did not have a full counteroffer on economics, Fain stood up and said, “You just lost Kentucky Truck Plant,” the source said.

The meeting took less than 10 minutes, the source said.

Less typically for these I've led with a company press release—Ford's press release on the walkout is what I've attached to this post. That's for a reason. In between the usual coping rhetoric about how the UAW is bringing chaos and unemployment by striking, and how strikes cost jobs and ruin lives, here they unintentionally seem to give away that they can pay for all of this. As they say: this one plant directly enables them to make $25 billion a year—and it's not their only plant. If anyone ever asks you "can these companies really afford it," point them the way of this statement. It's trivial for them to meet the 36% pay increase and 32-hour workweek being demanded of them and it is always an active choice to not do so.


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