Ford Motor Co. is preparing white-collar workers to do blue-collar jobs in case of a UAW strike, according to internal company materials reviewed by the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Over the past month, Ford has held meetings with salaried workers, including engineers, to explain that the company wants to protect the flow of parts to car dealers in support of customers. This means Ford is planning to take actions that include sending white-collar workers into parts warehouses to run forklifts, according to meeting attendees.

If operations are disrupted and factory production is shut down, Ford is planning to deploy salaried workers to 20 sites in 15 states with Ford parts depots.

The automaker asked salaried workers to complete online surveys to rank their top three preferred sites in California, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, based on an audio recording made by a person attending one of the meetings and additional documentation obtained by the Free Press.

"We are working hard to reach a new deal. But, like we do for any scenario where customer service could be interrupted, we need to plan for the possibility of a UAW strike. Our customers and dealers are counting on us to ship parts so we can keep Ford vehicles on the road," a Ford manager said on the recording, who also told those in attendance that a script had been provided by labor affairs.

An engineer may be sent to work in a parts warehouse

"The continued operation of our Ford customer service depots will make the difference between first responders being able to respond to emergencies or not. Utility trucks being able to respond to power outages or not. Customers making it to work or not. And customers accessing health care or not. This is our core purpose for the company, giving people the freedom to move. That’s why we are preparing to supply dealer part orders in the event of a strike," the manager told salaried workers.

"If there is a labor disruption, certain salaried personnel will be assigned to PS&L (parts supply and logistics) depots instead of performing their normal duties of your current job," the manager said. "We’ve completed an extensive review of all the requirements for safety training, both online and material handling equipment. Your safety is a top priority. If you’re assigned a role within a depot you will be provided proper safety training for any job you perform and a medical evaluation will be required. Roles would include stock keeper, order picker or shipping and receiving. Some of these roles would involve either walking or driving a power material handling vehicle or driving a forklift. Anyone who must travel outside of their home city will have all travel and living expenses provided and allowed to travel home on the weekends."

Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are negotiating new four-year contracts with a Sept. 14 deadline at 11:59 p.m. GM sustained a 40-day national strike in 2019.

All three automakers have said they plan to negotiate in good faith. UAW President Shawn Fain has been highly critical, especially of Stellantis. And Stellantis, maker of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Dodge, has pushed back.

Salaried workers who attended confidential meetings were told not to discuss the plans with any colleagues or family members. Ford told its employees that they would have to tell family and friends that they were traveling on business and not disclose any other detail.

"You're sworn to secrecy," salaried workers were told.

"We’re aiming to keep you close to home," the Ford manager told salaried workers. "You will still have the opportunity to identify your preference ... in case you have the interest to travel elsewhere during this time. These preferences will be accommodated wherever possible."

The manager said Ford hoped for no strike but the company would expect any strike to last several weeks or longer.

"During the strike, your daily work hours would be Monday through Friday, from approximately 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. And that is subject to change based on the need," salaried workers were told. "Exemptions will be approved in limited circumstances. These include medical, religious, family care or significant legal or financial reasons."

Jobs to be done

The Free Press reviewed pages where Ford outlined the plan for salaried workers as well as job descriptions.

• Order picker: Removing material from the shelf to fulfill dealer orders. Heavy parts are picked using forklifts and other powered equipment. Smaller parts are picked on carts while walking through the warehouse.

• Stockkeeper: Restocking shelves during the picking operation using a stand-up forklift or by hand. Pre-sorting bin for efficient stock-keeping. Taking materials from staging lanes and placing it on the shelves.

• Shipping and receiving: Removing material from a truck and staging for restocking. Ensuring orders are completed and preparing them for delivery (driving a forklift).

Some salaried workers expressed concern about safety, since hourly workers are trained to work in warehouses.

During the John Deere strike two years ago, a salaried worker filling in for a factory worker crashed a tractor, and Deere management concerned about “reputational risk” on social media, instructed employees that accident reports must not be shared with the public, according to a recording of one executive and a slide deck obtained by The Intercept.

John May, CEO of Deere, joined Ford's board of directors in 2021. The six-year Deere contract with the UAW, in the end, was characterized by both parties as successful.

Tell no one

Salaried workers were told the parts depot deployment plan is a contingency that Ford hopes is unnecessary.

In addition, Ford plant managers have told salaried workers that preparations are going on throughout Ford. Again and again, workers were told the meetings were confidential. Salaried workers were warned that they faced job dismissal as well as legal action from Ford if anyone discussed the content of the confidential meetings with anyone.

Ford also planned to conduct media training for its salaried workers in case they come in contact with reporters during a strike, according to company material reviewed by the Free Press.

Ford confirms UAW strike prep

In response to questions about meetings being held with salaried workers, and citation of internal materials reviewed by the Free Press, Ford spokeswoman Jessica Enoch told the Free Press on Thursday, “Like we would for any scenario where customer service could be interrupted, Ford is planning for the possibility of a work stoppage. Safety and customer service are top priorities for us.

“We have a responsibility to our customers and dealers to ship the parts that keep Ford vehicles on the road — especially to keep first responders and other essential services running,” she added.

Salaried workers concerned

Some salaried workers in the meetings said privately they didn't mind reassignment as long as they received their paychecks. Others said they didn't want to cross a picket line under any circumstances. They wondered whether they would be taken to work by bus or through a back door, according to interviews with the Free Press.

Multiple people on the recording voiced concern about being captured in photos trying to cross a picket line.

The name "Chuck Browning" was cited during some meetings. He is the UAW liaison to Ford, and a vice president credited with working on successful strikes recently, according to audio reviewed by the Free Press.

• Browning, who is the key union player in Ford talks, also heads the agricultural implements division of the UAW.

• UAW members led a strike against farm equipment manufacturer Case New Holland for more than 260 days, ending with a contract in January for roughly 1,100 industrial workers in Wisconsin and Iowa.

• UAW members struck John Deere for five weeks in 2021.

A Ford salaried worker told the Free Press, "I left my meeting and immediately Googled the name" Chuck Browning.

From enemy to ally

Ford Motor Co. has gone from beating union organizers bloody in the 1930s and being the last of the Detroit Three to recognize the UAW to earning a reputation as the most labor-friendly carmaker in Detroit during the 2019 contract negotiations.

The labor union and automaker reached a tentative agreement on its last contract after only three days of discussing economic issues — after the UAW completed a 40-day strike against GM.

A GM source confirmed to the Free Press on Thursday that it did use salaried workers to "operate a few parts warehouses to support dealers and customers during the 2019 work stoppage."

Tricky balancing game

Automakers must prepare for the worst while, at the same time, assuring Wall Street analysts that everything will be fine. The issue of a potential strike has come up consistently during earnings reports and forecasts.

So now is the time for companies to stockpile parts and vehicles in case of factory shutdowns, said industry analyst Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions.

While Ford and others may try and prepare for shutdowns, they can't send everybody out to parts depots or staff assembly plants. But the parts depot plan is notable, he said.

"It's a Band-Aid they can put on, whereas there are not enough resources to keep a plant operating around strikers," Fiorani said. "This is the little bit Ford can do."

More: UAW strike vote announced, authorization expected amidst tense negotiations

He said, "The UAW leadership has already declared war on these manufacturers. Where the manufacturers and the unions have always gone in expecting the best from each other, and pushing each other to get what each side needs, this negotiation doesn't seem to be going down that path. This is the most contentious one I've seen in my professional life, in 30 years."

The new UAW leadership has positioned itself as the "aggressor" in a way that seems to block a path to rapid resolution, Fiorani said.

Preparing contingency plans is usually praised by Wall Street, he said. "But it doesn't seem like Ford is setting this up for the stock market to appreciate it. The covert nature of it it, the problem with setting it up that way, is the white-collar workers look like scabs."

More: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway cuts its stake in GM almost in half

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford salaried workers may do parts warehouse jobs if UAW strikes