12,000 Louisville Ford workers wait for UAW order to join strike

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) -12,000 Ford employees are just a digital alert away from joining United Auto Workers striking in other parts of the country.

“We’re prepared,” UAW Local 862 President Todd Dunn said Friday. “We are constantly communicating with international. It’s a living document. I’m talking to the president’s office. I’m talking to communications. I’m talking to the national Ford department, so we’re dialed in. It’s disciplined. It’s very disciplined.”

Dunn would not discuss details about the plan if local UAW workers go on strike, but 12,000 Louisville Ford workers are watching a special UAW app on their phones for an alert that tells them they are joining other national members on the picket line.

“Right now, we are getting all of our picket captains, everything lined up,” Dunn said. “Just giving them a little extra time to make sure we got everything in place when and if we are called on to strike either Kentucky truck plant, Louisville assembly plant or both.”

If UAW local 862 does get the call, and the current targeted strike becomes a national shutdown, it could be a while before consumers notice. The big 3 automakers beefed up inventories ahead of the strike. Market observers say some models have more than a 100 day supply.

”That means that those cars will have an abundance for some time,” Executive Editor for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book Brian Moody said. “If this goes on to Thanksgiving, yeah, you’re going to see definitely some reduction in inventory.”

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