CAPCON By James David Dickson | September 26, 2023
Though the Ford-CATL project sought non-union labor, striking union sees pause as a threat
Ford Motor Co. will pause its $3.5 billion project to build EV batteries in Marshall, the company announced Monday, citing concerns about its “ability to competitively run the plant.”
As The Detroit News reported:
“We’re pausing work, and we’re going to limit spending on construction at Marshall until we’re confident about our ability to competitively run the plant,” Ford spokesman T.R. Reid told The Detroit News on Monday. A “number of considerations” were at play in the company's business decision, he said, but wouldn’t say whether the United Auto Workers’ ongoing strike of Ford and its crosstown rivals was a factor.
“We haven’t made a final decision about the investment there,” Reid said of the Marshall site. The pause in construction is effective Monday.
The Marshall project, named BlueOval Battery Park, was a collaboration with a Chinese firm called CATL. Michigan lawmakers had granted the project about $1.7 billion in cash and other forms of corporate welfare.
BlueOval Battery Park drew major scrutiny, from Marshall residents to officials in Lansing and Washington, D.C. The chairs of three U.S. House committees sent letters to Ford CEO Jim Farley to inquire about the partnership; two of those committees said they were investigating the matter themselves.
Republican lawmakers in Lansing said Ford’s decision is a commentary on the state of Michigan’s business climate, electric grid and energy transition.
More:
https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/ford-pauses-ev-battery-project-uaw-calls-decision-shameful
