Ford Motor Company has provided another contract offer to the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) union, doubling down on job security in response to the union’s EV manufacturing concerns.

This is the seventh offer Ford has made to the UAW since 29 August, Kallanish notes. The Detroit-based automaker, which employs 57,000 UAW members across the US, says its latest offer would put both hourly and salaried employees in the top 25% of all US jobs.

Under Ford’s latest proposal, permanent employees would receive a pay raise greater than 20%, traditional cost-of-living allowances and a “robust” benefits package. Meanwhile, both temporary and permanent employees would be allowed to benefit from profit sharing, which has been a point of contention for the UAW.

“We’ve put an offer on the table that will be costly for the company, especially given our large American footprint and UAW workforce, but one that we believe still allows Ford to invest in the future,” says Jim Farley, president and ceo of Ford.

The carmaker has also committed to “no job loss due to EV battery plants,” a direct response to UAW concerns that US EV manufacturing will cut jobs and lead to plant closures.

In a statement Tuesday, Ford explained that while it “remains open to the possibility of working with the UAW on future battery plants in the United States, these are multi-billion-dollar investments and must operate at competitive and sustainable levels.”

The company also noted that three of its battery plants, which are still under construction, are part of a joint venture between Ford and SK On. Ford stressed that these plants will not eliminate the need for any employees, including powertrain. Instead, the automaker will hire more workers to keep up with ICE product demands.

Negotiations are still ongoing, with the UAW making its last counteroffer on 25 September.

On Monday, Ford announced it would furlough 330 workers in Chicago and Ohio, adding to the 600 workers it temporarily laid off last month at an assembly plant in Michigan. In a statement, the company said the lay-offs are a “consequence of the strike at Chicago Assembly Plant,” as downstream plants had to reduce production that would have otherwise been shipped there.