The votes are in for Ford UAW Local 862, and the membership rejects the new tentative agreement.
[Related content: UAW voting reveals ratification of Detroit 3 agreement]
Ford UAW Local 862 plants split
The voting for the Ford UAW Local 862 comes from two different Ford facilities. The two plants are the Ford Kentucky Truck plant and the Louisville Assembly plant. The members at both of those plants vote separately, and then the tally is totaled.
According to a Facebook post, Kentucky Ford truck plant members voted against the tentative agreement. This plant builds the Ford Super Duty trucks and was the last plant to go on strike, which forced the automaker and the UAW to come to an agreement.
Meanwhile, Ford Louisville Assembly plant members voted for the agreement. This plant builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair.
Added together, though, the votes are no by a 52-48 margin with production worker vote totals outweighing the skilled trades vote.
Why vote no?
The “record contract,” as UAW President Shawn Fain calls it, seems like a big hit for UAW members, however, recent votes at GM and now Ford show its passage is not guaranteed.
It is also interesting that many members aren’t voting at all. For example, the Automotive News story states at Ford Kentucky Truck plant, which rejected the contract, less than 50% of members voted.  At the Louisville Assembly plant, which approved the contract, just more than half of the members voted.
A Facebook post on the UAW Local 862 page has a few comments, and one voiced a frustration over the voting process and the lack of full UAW membership turn out. This comment said voting took place on just one day meaning people had to come in on their day off to vote. Plus, there was no absentee voting, and each local UAW voted on different days.
Other UAW Ford voting results
The only other vote that’s in at the time of posting this article is the Ford Chicago Assembly plant, which voted 57% in favor of the contract according to Reuters.
That vote took place on November 8, and more voting results should be coming soon.
We’ve reached out to the UAW for better understanding on how voting will proceed and how many UAW locals still need to vote.
The bottom line
Historically, UAW contracts have passed by narrow margins, and it looks like this one will come down to the wire as well. If it doesn’t pass, expect another major disruption for the automotive market and the overall economy.
