UAW shuts down Ford’s biggest plant; Stellantis talks resuming

U.S. auto workers are expected to return to talks with Chrysler maker Stellantis on Thursday, a tense day after a surprise walkout at Ford's biggest and most profitable plant sharply raised the stakes between the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Three. The Wednesday evening decision to shut Ford's Kentucky truck plant employing 8,700 workers, the largest single walkout since targeted strikes began four weeks ago, came as the UAW and Stellantis prepared for another major round of bargaining, sources said. Nearly a quarter of the 150,000 UAW workers at the Detroit Three automakers are now on strike, and thousands more have been furloughed from jobs at operations that are not on strike because automakers said the walkouts made their work unnecessary.