Ford lays off hundreds of workers at Chicago Heights stamping plant amid UAW strike

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (WLS) -- The layoffs were announced over the weekend, including 243 At the Chicago Heights plant alone.

While expected by union leaders, as anyone can imagine, they are creating anxiety amongst those who were impacted. Ford saying, the layoffs were inevitable.

At UAW Local 588, they are getting ready. While not on strike themselves, it's a possibility they are prepared for, especially now.

Nearly one in four of their members were laid off from Ford's Chicago Heights stamping plant on Saturday, a direct consequence of workers from Ford's South Side assembly plant joining UAW's nationwide strike against the Big Three automakers.

"That's approximately 80% of our work, so we expected we'd be facing layoffs if they were on strike," Local 588 Vice President Eugene Rogers said.

In confirming the layoffs Monday, Ford said, in part, "Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW's targeted strike strategy has knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage."

SEE ALSO | Autoworkers strike has cost US economy nearly $4B, report says

Chicago's South Side Assembly plant is the sole producer of the Ford Explorer, one of the company's top sellers. It's more than 4,500 employees were called to strike Friday. On Tuesday, picketers expressed sympathy for those laid off at the Chicago Heights plant.

"It's very disheartening. We're all family. We're all UAW members. I don't want to see this happen to any of us," said Ester Johnson, a striking UAW Local 551 worker.

"A lot of people are struggling trying to make ends meet, but you have to look at the picture from a long distance. It's going to get better for us, and that's why we're out here," said Flora Edmonds, another striking worker.

Since the strike began on Sept. 15, Ford has laid off nearly 1,000 workers nationwide. All those layoffs, however, are expected to be temporary, lasting only until an agreement is reached between the union and the Big Three automakers.

Meanwhile, Ford said it made a comprehensive offer to the UAW on Monday night in an effort to reach a tentative labor agreement through April 30, 2028.

It is the seventh offer Ford has made since Aug. 29. Ford said it has received two comprehensive counteroffers from the UAW, the last on Sept. 25.