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Ford UAW Workers In Louisville OK Strike

More than 98 percent of workers who voted have authorized a strike if their contract expires next month without a new deal being reached in Detroit.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- More than 98 percent of United Auto Workers at Ford Motor Co. in Louisville who voted have authorized a strike if their contract expires next month without a new deal being reached in Detroit.

The local UAW said Tuesday night that 98.7 percent authorized a strike if no deal is reached by Sept. 14, The Courier-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/ri9dV1http://bit.ly/ri9dV1 ). Union officials did not disclose how many people voted.

A strike authorization vote is common in contract negotiations as a show of union strength during talks. Once the Louisville Assembly Plant reopens with a staff of 2,700, the UAW workforce at Ford in Louisville will increase to 6,500, the biggest local within Ford.

UAW members at a Ford plant near Kansas City voted during the weekend to authorize a strike.

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