Throughout his presidency, President Donald Trump had fostered an economic climate that induced many businesses to stay in America and create more jobs. He focused most specifically on returning manufacturing jobs back to America, and it was working. Now, under Biden’s disastrous globalist policies, major businesses are once again outsourcing their manufacturing.
The latest major company planning to outsource its American jobs is Ford Motor Company. In 2019, Ford had signed an agreement with the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) to spend nearly $1 billion on updates to its Avon, Ohio Assembly Plant (OHAP) for a “next-generation product to be added in 2023.” This signed agreement was likely done with the reasonable assumption that Trump would remain in office and no irregularities would occur during the 20202 election.
Now, it appears as though Ford has found Biden’s policies so bad for American economics that it is willing to renege on its America First plans by moving at least one major next-generation product’s manufacturing to Mexico.
AVON LAKE, Ohio — Ford workers in Avon Lake were notified by letter from United Auto Workers leadership in Detroit that the automaker is not planning to bring a new line to their Ohio Assembly Plant (OHAP) but instead moving that production to Mexico.
The letter from UAW Vice President Gerald Kariem stated that at the heart of the last contract with Ford signed in November 2019 was to increase job security and Ford, in turn, responded with a commitment to invest $900 million into the Ohio Assembly Plant, some of which was for “next-generation product to be added in 2023,” he wrote.
“Unfortunately, Ford Motor Company has decided it will not honor its promise to add a new product to OHAP and, instead, it intends to build the next-generation vehicle in Mexico,” he wrote.
Ford has not come out publicly and said this was their intent and the union says they’ve only been provided with “strategically limited information,” and classified the situation as “rapidly evolving.”
In Avon Lake, Ted Esborn, Economic Development Director, said they learned of the letter from those who received it Friday.
Kariem said in his letter “we expect the company to honor its contractual commitments to this membership and when it fails to do so we will take action. We have submitted data requests to the company asking them to explain the basis for the decision, but they continue to only provide us with strategically limited information. We are intensely exploring our options at this time.”
In a statement to Avon Lake workers Ford Plant Manager Jason Moore responded in a letter “as part of the 2019 UAW Ford CBA, the UAW’s highlights document included reference to a $900 million investment and a new product for OHAP. While conditions upon which the 2019 Administrative Letter were based have changed, the Company is investing in the plant and increasing production of Super Duty trucks at OHAP,” the letter read.
Adding that “in the short time between 2019 and now, coupled with planned actions yet to be taken in 2021. Full-time labor and base operation additions totaling more than 100 people, including some planned for this year. Continued Investment to add overall capacity, increase Super Duty production, launch updated new models, and modernize the facility totaling more than $185 million in the three years from 2019 to 2021.”
