‘This should not be Ford vs the UAW’: Bill Ford addresses strike impact on future of auto industry

Bill Ford to UAW: Lets end 'acrimonious' negotiations

The chairman of Ford decried the autoworker union's escalation of strikes during its contract negotiations with the automaker and called for the UAW to "come together" and finish negotiations.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford addressed the impact of the UAW strike during a brief update Monday morning.

"This should not be Ford vs the UAW. It should be Ford and the UAW vs Toyota, Honda, Tesla, and all the Chinese countries that want to enter our home market," he said, noting that these other automakers love watching the UAW strike drag out.

Ford said that the supply base is fragile, and an ongoing strike will damage the economy.

"If it continues, it will have a major impact on the American economy and devastate local communities," he said.

UAW President Shawn Fain responded to Ford's comments Monday night.

"Bill Ford knows exactly how to settle this strike. Instead of threatening to close the Rouge, he should call up Jim Farley, tell him to stop playing games and get a deal done, or we’ll close the Rouge for him," Fain said. "It's not the UAW and Ford against foreign automakers. It's autoworkers everywhere against corporate greed. If Ford wants to be the all-American auto company, they can pay all-American wages and benefits. Workers at Tesla, Toyota, Honda, and others are not the enemy—they're the UAW members of the future."

Ford, along with the other Big Three automakers, have made numerous offers to the union, but none have met their demands.

"Despite this (offer) the UAW leaders decided to escalate and strike our Kentucky Truck Plant last week," Ford said.

Read more UAW strike coverage here.

Currently, UAW members at Ford's Michigan Assembly, Chicago Assembly, and Kentucky plant are on strike, and roughly ⅓ of the automaker's production has been impacted by the strike.

The truck plant is Ford's largest and most profitable plant, bringing in about $25 billion a year.