Costs spiral as auto leader Ford, UAW spar

Delicate times: Ford at a conference on the future of American manufacturing in Dearborn, Michigan. More than 34,000 union members working at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are on strike. — AP

DETROIT: Ford executive chairman Bill Ford urges the United Auto Workers (UAW) union to end a 32-day strike and reach a new labour agreement and warns of the growing impact on the automaker and the US economy.

“We can stop this now,” Ford said of the strike that expanded last week to shut down the Kentucky plant. “I call on UAW colleagues. We need to come together to bring an end to this acrimonious round of talks.”