Unions Reject 7% Raise, Strike British Subsidiary of Ford

Unions representing more than 32,000 auto workers struck Ford Motor Co. Ltd. today, shutting down production at the company’s 22 plants after rejecting a 7% pay increase, union and company officials said.

“It would appear that the strike is unanimous,” said a company spokesman, who was not identified in keeping with British practice.

Members of 12 unions struck after midnight Sunday. They had rejected a three-year contract offer by a 60% margin Thursday over the recommendations of their negotiating team. Talks broke off Friday.

The British subsidiary of the U.S. auto giant expects to lose production worth $30 million a day.