Ford Pays Dearly for Labor Peace With the UAW

President Biden praised what he called the “historic tentative agreement” that the United Auto Workers and Ford struck late Wednesday as a testament to collective bargaining. Perhaps, but the real test will be whether Ford can stay competitive, especially amid the government-forced electric-vehicle transition.

UAW President Shawn Fain’s strategy of staging strikes at select plants operated by all three Detroit auto makers appears to be paying off. The union was threatening to call off workers at a factory that builds Ford’s highly profitable F-150 pickup when the auto maker agreed to a generous deal that ends the nearly six-week walkout.