DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – After the work day on Wednesday, the United Auto Workers announced a tentative contract agreement with Ford Motor Company, which could end the more than 40 day strike for one of the Big Three Detroit Auto Companies. 

“Today, we reached a tentative agreement with Ford,” UAW President Shawn Fain said on social media, “For months, we’ve said that record profits mean record contracts, and UAW family, our Stand Up Strike has delivered.” 

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Some of the major victories outlined by Fain include a reinstatement of benefits lost during the Great Recession including: Cost of Living Allowances, the removal of wage tiers in the union, improved retirement benefits, as well as the right to strike over plant closures- the first time the auto union has garnered this right. 

“Our union has united in a way we haven’t seen in years. From the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, our members came together to tell the Big Three with one voice that record profits mean a record contract,” said UAW Vice President Chuck Browning. “Thanks to the power of our members on the picket line and the threat of more strikes to come, we have won the most lucrative agreement per member since Walter Reuther was president.”

Ford CEO and President Jim Farley also shared his enthusiasm for getting the tentative agreement ratified and moving forward with reopening plants. 

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW covering our U.S. operations,” Farley said in a statement, “Ford is proud to assemble the most vehicles in America and employ the most hourly autoworkers. We are focused on restarting Kentucky Truck Plant, Michigan Assembly Plant and Chicago Assembly Plant, calling 20,000 Ford employees back to work and shipping our full lineup to our customers again.” 

United States President Joseph Biden also shared his support for the agreement. 

“I applaud the UAW and Ford for coming together after a hard fought, good faith negotiation and reaching a historic tentative agreement tonight,” President Biden said in a statement, “This tentative agreement provides a record raise to auto workers who have sacrificed so much to ensure our iconic Big Three companies can still lead the world in quality and innovation. Ultimately, the final word on this contract will be from the UAW members themselves in the days and weeks to come.” 

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Earlier this week, the UAW turned up the heat on General Motors with a surprise strike that took out thousands more from the automaker’s workforce, a day after doing the same to Stellantis. 

“Another record quarter, another record year. As we’ve said for months: record profits equal record contracts.” said UAW President Shawn Fain as 5,000 GM workers were called to strike. “It’s time GM workers, and the whole working class, get their fair share.”

A ratification vote is required by all the Ford UAW members, who were called off the strike line Wednesday evening.