Ford Lays Off More Metro Detroit Workers As UAW Strike Continues

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI — Another 150 Ford autoworkers at the Sterling Axle Plant in Sterling Heights were laid off as the United Auto Workers strike continues.

The Dearborn autoworker told the workers not to show up Wednesday because of a reduction in car parts needed for Ford's factory in Louisville, where nearly 9,000 United Auto Workers members walked off the job earlier this month.

The new round of layoffs brings the total number of employees laid off from Sterling Axle t0 418.

"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," Ford said in a statement. "In this case, the strike at Kentucky Truck Plant has directly impacted some operations at Sterling Axle Plant."

The news also comes after more than 200 Ford autoworkers were laid off days ago. More than 2,500 Ford autoworkers have now been laid off due to the ongoing United Auto Workers' strike. Ford said there were roughly 16,600 workers striking at three factories in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky.

So far, the strike has cost the industry $5.5 billion, which includes $579 million in lost wages for workers and $2.6 billion in losses for automakers, according to an economic assessment from East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group.

The historic UAW strike against Detroit's Big Three began on Sept. 8 after the union's contract expired without a new one in place. It's the first time ever the union launched a strike against all three automakers at the same time.