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Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford calls on autoworkers to end strike, says company’s future is at stake

https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-10-16/ford-executive-chair-bill-ford-calls-on-autoworkers-to-end-strike-says-companys-future-is-at-stake.html

Last week, 8,700 union members stopped working at the largest and most profitable Ford plant in the world, the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville

Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford calls on autoworkers to end strike, says company’s future is at stake

33 comments

dustyData

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Yes Bill, that is sort of the point of a strike. You could end the strike today if you wanted to.

Holyginz

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Maybe stop funneling so much of the profits to executives and shareholders and they would be able to offer more.

ArbiterXero

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The problem is that if he doesn’t continue to do that, he will be fired. That is literally the CEOs only responsibility, to the shareholders

AllonzeeLV

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Which is the core of why humanity is fucked. The shareholders took control. Workers and customers used to come first until the shareholders made their move in the Reagan/Jack Welch era.

"Maximize profits!"

But we're releasing emissions that will eventually fuck humanity's only habitat we all communally depend on for basic survival from one moment to the next.

"Someone else's problem to handle. The planet doesn't pay me dividends. Maximize profits!"

We literally let private shareholders destroy entire societies to feed their insatiable greed. All they need to do is call their cruelty on their workers, customers, and society an "externality" and the world magically understands, how Orwellian. They aren't even greedy and cruel anymore, they're just "rationally self-interested."

ArbiterXero

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You’re entirely right.

Bigger than that, it doesn’t matter what kind of government you believe in, it’ll eventually be run by psychopaths.

The foxes are in the henhouse.

And they don’t care if you’re left or right, they pick a topic that outrages you and tell you that if you don’t vote for them, the world will end.

AllonzeeLV

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Yep, they stoke social wedges intentionally. The Foxes own the hen house when political bribery is legal, as it is here.

Us idiot peasants are encouraged to fight over the quaint social issues either entirely caused by or exacerbated by our rigged economy specifically to keep us divided and at eachother's throats so we never unite and resist the oligarchs as we're robbed blind. The class war was 50 years back, the peasants surrendered without a fight. This is well oiled class occupation. This is Orwell in action.

All the while the Republicans and Neoliberals conspire and get the same marching orders from the same bribers on the oligarch's economic policy dictates. The poories are not permitted a vote on economic policy.

Keep fighting over abortion though. They like that. Even though abortion wouldn't be as big of an issue if people could largely afford to raise children, as abortions tend to be economic decisions. Imho abortion should be legal and available, but the point is we aren't allowed to vote to make child rearing affordable to any working Americans, as that would cut into shareholder profit through taxation. We aren't free to vote for that in any party permitted to have a chance.

ArbiterXero

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Well abortion is kinda a healthcare decision imho because many abortions are to women that WANT the kid but something went wrong.

Regardless, yes it’s a stupid wedge issue like gay marriage.

Or for that matter paper straws and other “greenwashing”

Focus on this MEANINGFUL issue and not on actual problems.

ChunkMcHorkle

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The problem is that if he doesn’t continue to do that, he will be fired. That is literally the CEOs only responsibility, to the shareholders

Bill Ford not going to be fired, or even reprimanded. He's literally a Ford of the founding Fords, "the great grandson of company founder Henry Ford," with an ownership stake: it's the family business.

This is ALL about profit, even for him. All carrot, no stick for him personally.

ArbiterXero

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Sure, but the only available stick would be that he “isn’t looking out for the best interests of the stock holders”

jmcs

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Well, keeping the workers working and productivity (i.e. motivated) is in the best interest of the shareholders. And workers have a bigger incentive to keep the company running than the average shareholder. Smart CEOs try to work with the unions not against them. And shareholders can be convinced of anything as long as the Excel spreadsheet says so.

Fixbeat

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Good thing there’s a bonus for getting fired as ceo.

ArbiterXero

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That’s actually a payout for his reputation talking a hit when a shitty policy designed to take money from the workers gets bad publicity and they need to fire the ceo as a scapegoat

GreenMario

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Boo hoo

Holyginz

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Sounds like it's time for an update to the job description then.

Spuddaccino

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"Hey, guys? I really need you guys to come back to work now, all the not working is starting to eat into my profit margins."

Holyginz

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If they want the strike to end that bad, sounds like it's time to pay better/give better benefits.

ChunkMcHorkle

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deleted by creator

dan1101

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Maybe they could try making simple reliable cars again.

Rhaedas

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The best Ford I ever had was an Escort, which I learned was actually a Mazda behind the badge.

netburnr

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Had a Focus ST, great little car, no issues. M moms explorer and my dad's f150s are electrical and infotainment nightmares. Each time they take them in it takes weeks and doesn't really fix anything.

dan1101

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My current daily is a Focus ST, love it.

Neato

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Your company's past, present and future is your workers. If they are saying "fuck you, pay me", pay them.

Jaysyn

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If you can't pay your workers a living wage, you don't deserve to exist as a company.

alquicksilver

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♪♪ Schaaaaadenfreude! Fuck you, buddy, that's what strikes are for. ♪♪

DigitalTraveler42

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If the company was really at stake then they would capitalate and come to a compromise with the strikers.

correcthorsedickbatterystaple

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Correction. Shareholder Income is at stake.

Centillionaire

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Thanks for letting them know the strike is effective!

NegativeLookBehind

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Fuck you, pay them.

TheRealCharlesEames

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🎻

FUCKRedditMods

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“Cmon guyyys cut it ouuut”

peopleproblems

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Sound like the strike is doing what they need it to do.

watson387

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Fuck Bill Ford.

Tuxman

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Sounds like somebody won't get his yearly bonus.....

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