Bill Ford calls on striking union to 'stop this now'

Bill Ford, the executive chair of Ford Motor Company, made his first public comments since negotiations began with the United Auto Workers union and the Big Three automakers. He called on the UAW to "stop this now," and bring an end to talks.

Ford, who has been involved in every contract negotiation with the UAW since 1982 said Monday the company is at a crossroads with the UAW and a strong manufacturing base is critical to US national security and essential to the future of US auto manufacturing.

He said the company's financial ability to invest in the future is the "lifeblood of the company", and without it - factories like Rouge in Dearborn, Michigan, will close.

"Bill Ford knows exactly how to settle this strike. Instead of threatening to close the Rouge, he should call up [Ford President] Jim Farley, tell him to stop playing games and get a deal done, or we'll close the Rouge for him," said Shawn Fain, UAW president, in response to Ford's comments Monday.

"The UAW's leaders have called us the enemy in these negotiations. But I will never consider our employees as enemies," Bill Ford said Monday at Ford's Rogue Center. "This should not be Ford versus the UAW. It should be Ford and the UAW vs. Toyota and Honda, Tesla and all the Chinese companies that want to enter our home market. Toyota, Honda, Tesla and others are loving this strike because they know the longer it goes on, the better it is for them. They will win and all of us will lose," said Ford.

UAW President Shawn Fain disagreed with Ford's assessment of the competition.

"It's not the UAW and Ford against foreign automakers. It's autoworkers everywhere against corporate greed. If Ford wants to be the all-American auto company, they can pay all-American wages and benefits. Workers at Tesla, Toyota, Honda and others are not the enemy - they're the UAW members of the future," Fain said regarding Bill Ford's comments Monday.