UAW Officials Urge Ford Workers To Approve Labor Deal

By Christina Rogers

United Auto Workers leaders urged workers at Ford Motor Co. to vote in favor of a new labor deal Wednesday, stressing that a rejection isn't likely to yield a richer contract if forced to return to the bargaining table.

At a press conference, the UAW's top bargainer at Ford, Jimmy Settles, said that a defeat of the labor deal, which secured $9 billion in new investment at the company's U.S. factories, could put job security at risk.

"The irony of negotiating is when you go back to the table, everything is off the table," Mr. Settles told journalists gathered at the UAW's local union hall in Dearborn, Mich.

The UAW leader said 52% of the company's 52,900 U.S. hourly workers to date have voted down the contract with about three-quarters of the Ford membership having cast ballots. Voting is expected to wrap up Friday.

The union's efforts to secure a new contact at Ford suffered a significant blow Tuesday with two major factories, representing 4,900 Ford workers, voting against the contract proposal.

Ford is the last of the Detroit car makers to negotiate a new four-year labor agreement with the UAW. The union has already suffered setbacks getting similar deals approved by the rank-and-file at General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

Write to Christina Rogers at Christina.Rogers@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 18, 2015 12:22 ET (17:22 GMT)

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