“There are a lot more people out here living in abject poverty than what people like to think or admit to. You voted for this—and now we’re paying the price.”
Employees learned of the cuts on Monday in a video message from Michael Adams, CEO of BlueOval SK.
Adams announced the transition would mean “the end of all BlueOval SK positions in Kentucky.”
U7826391786239 @lemmy.zip - 18hr
"you voted for this"
-one of like 12 people in kentucky who didn't vote for trump
65
SpikesOtherDog @ani.social - 16hr
Whoa, I want to point out that 2/3 of Kentucky adults didn't vote for Trump.
That's also a terrible statistic, because Trump voters outnumber all other voters by almost 2:1. I'm sure other half of eligible voters would not have turned the needle the other way, but 700k voters did not want him.
11
SippyCup @lemmy.ml - 14hr
16000 in the county this plant is in voted for Harris.
At our last contact negotiation one of the stewards said pretty much the same thing to a guy who would not shut the fuck up about how the company was doing better than it would let on. And that his department was being shuttered out of spite.
This was weeks after Trump was elected, and we all kind of knew tariffs were coming. We had stronger membership than we'd ever had but everyone was extremely nervous about how much steel would even be available to buy. Last time he was elected the company hemorrhaged money on steel because of the Cheeto.
So this guy was a well known trump supporter, and the Steward understandably lost his cool when the guy leveled one accusation after another at him.
He did end up keeping a job, he had to take RIF but he's still employed.
I live in a purple county of a very red state. I get where he's coming from. Most of the union guys vote for pro union candidates. "You voted for this" is something we all kind of think once a day.
10
slappyfuck @lemmy.ca - 6hr
At the same time, they didn’t vote for this.
1
Blaster M - 16hr
This is also partly Ford's fault. The F150 Lightning is very heavy and very expensive. It's capabilities as a truck aren't that great for the pricetag. They needed to be making more smaller, affordable EVs than shooting for the moon.
They're still making the Mustang Mach-E, and that CUV sells better than the actual Mustang.
28
BarqsHasBite - 12hr
The guys that founded Tesla (not Elon) actually did a great market analysis. They said EVs are expensive, so you don't start at the budget end. You actually start at the expensive luxury end. With trucks though it's hard because the buyers think they need a towing truck and the aerodynamics and thus range are awful.
5
David_Eight @lemmy.world - 12hr
To be fair, the F-Series trucks make up almost 39% of all vehicles fold by Ford in the USA (2024), plus . Americans overwhelming want big trucks from Ford, they're listening to their customers, their customers are just wrong though lol.
Ford Brand Total - 1,974,009
Ford Trucks Total - 1,158 964
F-Series - 765,649
4
Psythik @lemmy.world - 6hr
Speaking of which, IDK why anyone would want a Mach-E. Sat in one and it was mind-blowing just how Spartan the interior of those cars are. Even the real Mustangs have have nicer interiors, and sports cars aren't exactly known for their luxury. But the Mustang might as well be a Bugatti by comparison to the Mach-E.
Noticed that trend in a lot of EVs lately, actually. They all seem to have the same bare-bones, Tesla-like interiors: all you get is just a steering wheel, somefake leather seats, some vents, and a giant screen that covers half the dashboard. And they expect people to pay $100K for these econo-boxes.
1
Pulsar @lemmy.world - 14hr
Every month USA will be less and less competitive in the EV space. The world will not wait for us.
26
SnarkoPolo @lemmy.world - 15hr
They yearn for the coal mines.
14
FlexibleToast @lemmy.world - 17hr
To be fair, people have been voting with their wallet as well. EVs aren't hitting the sales numbers the auto manufacturers wanted them to hit. Removing the subsidies doesn't help. Well it doesn't help US manufacturers, it does help China get ahead in the EV market and be better positioned for the future.
9
Scrubbles - 17hr
This is technically true, but misses the context of massive PR and smear campaigns against EVs on social media. People voted with their wallet after being bombarded with propaganda on EVs being somehow more dangerous, somehow worse for the environment, and that it's more fun apparently to go to a gas station every week.
Me, an EV owner who hasn't gone to a gas station in 2 years now, has had no maintenance, and happily charges at home
36
SantasMagicalComfort - 17hr
I love how everyone was freaking out about the effects of EVs on the grid but no one gives a fuck about AI's energy usage.
38
Scrubbles - 17hr
Turns out it was never them being worried about the power usage at all...
20
ouRKaoS @lemmy.today - 16hr
Lots of people give a fuck about AI's energy usage, but the data centers are paying off the people that could do something about it.
10
gressen @lemmy.zip - 16hr
I get what you're saying but EVs are totally different than data centers in terms of electrical load distribution.
6
SantasMagicalComfort - 15hr
EV can help smooth out usage spikes with two way energy transfer.
2
Eat_Your_Paisley @lemmy.world - 16hr
If your on the larger Internet you'll find there are lots of people concerned about AI data centers to the point they're protesting. If we were to switch to EV enmass the grid would need upgrades and since its in largely private hands those upgrades would be slow and expensive.
The electric F150 lost 5 figures on everyone sold so its not surprising that Ford was looking for a reason to stop production.
5
FlexibleToast @lemmy.world - 16hr
Yeah, but the EV companies could have ran counter attacks if it was that easy.
If it provides any context at all, I want my next vehicle to be an EV. I've already had my electrician run large enough conduit to add L2 charging to my garage when I added electricity to my garage this year. My dream vehicle is actually the Rivian R1T.
1
Scrubbles - 15hr
Having a charger at home is honestly so freaking nice. I just don't think about gas or gas stations or anything. I will never go back to ICE vehicles after this one
3
FlexibleToast @lemmy.world - 15hr
I try to tell people this all the time. They always say they're worried about range and I slays remind them that it's plugged in when you're home so you always start the day with full range. Unlike an ICE where your range dwindles with every drive until you make a specific stop at a gas station. Also not having to worry about oil changes has to be amazing.
1
Bytemeister @lemmy.world - 7hr
The problem for me is the absolutely criminal rates for DC fast charging, and the fact that almost every EV charger is trying to lock you in to an ecosystem. This is pretty easy to fix though.
What I learned driving my EV for a year is that people don't have range anxiety, they have charging anxiety. When you are on a trip in your EV, it is very difficult to find a charger without pulling over and futzing around in a few apps. Meanwhile, for gas cars, they've had 2+ stations at every exit for the last hour with prices on billboards that can be seen from miles away.
1
Let's Go 2 the Mall! ❌👑 - 17hr
and most people don't want an ipad on wheels. I know most cars are just screens now, but I don't know of any EVs that has buttons, knobs, or actual window cranks. I don't want to go 3 screens deep just to turn on the AC.
14
wagesj45 - 16hr
Gonna take this opportunity to be a corporate shill and praise my Kia EV6. They really nailed the layout of the dash. It's a good blend of digital and physical. Hope more manufacturers learn from them.
7
FlexibleToast @lemmy.world - 16hr
Hyundai and Kia seemed to figure thar out pretty quick.
6
Tar_Alcaran - 15hr
Similar for the cheaper EV3.
My only design gripe is that the climate control info is all directly behind the steering wheel, so I need to lean over to see it.
2
PattyMcB @lemmy.world - 10hr
There was a company pitching this idea a while ago.
Totally agree. It's funny now that it seems luxury has come back full circle to adding buttons again. I remember in the 90s the joke was that luxury cars had way too many buttons. Then people complained about the blanks covering where buttons would be if you bought a higher trim so they just got rid of buttons all together.
2
Bytemeister @lemmy.world - 7hr
I don't have to go 3 screens deep to turn on my AC in my EV...
Popping the trunk, or turning on the windshield defogger is another story though. Hit the HVAC button on the bottom right of the center screen, then hit the defog option, then close the menu, and set your temp and fan speed from the main screen. Good thing you never need to mess with that while you are driving, it would be very distracting.
1
bagsy @lemmy.world - 12hr
People want simple, repairable EVs for less than $80k. There is a reason they wont allow the cheap chinese EVs into america, they would destroy the american auto makers overnight.
7
Pulsar @lemmy.world - 14hr
The transition requires incentives, and if we don't do it someone else China? will.
2
FlexibleToast @lemmy.world - 14hr
Yeah, I mentioned that.
2
AlecSadler - 7hr
Wow their population is between 1900-2700. Obviously not every employee lives there, but it means less people going there / being there. That's going to have catastrophic local effects.
slothrop in leopardsatemyface @lemmy.world
"YOU VOTED FOR THIS": Ford Shuts Down Kentucky EV Battery Operations, Fires 1,600 Workers Right Before Christmas as Trump Rolls Back Emissions Rules
https://thedailyadda.com/2025/12/19/you-voted-for-this-ford-shuts-down-kentucky-ev-battery-operations-fires-1600-workers-right-before-christmas-as-trump-rolls-back-emissions-rules/cross-posted from: https://discuss.online/post/32432803
"you voted for this"
-one of like 12 people in kentucky who didn't vote for trump
Whoa, I want to point out that 2/3 of Kentucky adults didn't vote for Trump.
That's also a terrible statistic, because Trump voters outnumber all other voters by almost 2:1. I'm sure other half of eligible voters would not have turned the needle the other way, but 700k voters did not want him.
16000 in the county this plant is in voted for Harris.
At our last contact negotiation one of the stewards said pretty much the same thing to a guy who would not shut the fuck up about how the company was doing better than it would let on. And that his department was being shuttered out of spite.
This was weeks after Trump was elected, and we all kind of knew tariffs were coming. We had stronger membership than we'd ever had but everyone was extremely nervous about how much steel would even be available to buy. Last time he was elected the company hemorrhaged money on steel because of the Cheeto.
So this guy was a well known trump supporter, and the Steward understandably lost his cool when the guy leveled one accusation after another at him.
He did end up keeping a job, he had to take RIF but he's still employed.
I live in a purple county of a very red state. I get where he's coming from. Most of the union guys vote for pro union candidates. "You voted for this" is something we all kind of think once a day.
At the same time, they didn’t vote for this.
This is also partly Ford's fault. The F150 Lightning is very heavy and very expensive. It's capabilities as a truck aren't that great for the pricetag. They needed to be making more smaller, affordable EVs than shooting for the moon.
They're still making the Mustang Mach-E, and that CUV sells better than the actual Mustang.
The guys that founded Tesla (not Elon) actually did a great market analysis. They said EVs are expensive, so you don't start at the budget end. You actually start at the expensive luxury end. With trucks though it's hard because the buyers think they need a towing truck and the aerodynamics and thus range are awful.
To be fair, the F-Series trucks make up almost 39% of all vehicles fold by Ford in the USA (2024), plus . Americans overwhelming want big trucks from Ford, they're listening to their customers, their customers are just wrong though lol.
Ford Brand Total - 1,974,009
Ford Trucks Total - 1,158 964
F-Series - 765,649
Speaking of which, IDK why anyone would want a Mach-E. Sat in one and it was mind-blowing just how Spartan the interior of those cars are. Even the real Mustangs have have nicer interiors, and sports cars aren't exactly known for their luxury. But the Mustang might as well be a Bugatti by comparison to the Mach-E.
Noticed that trend in a lot of EVs lately, actually. They all seem to have the same bare-bones, Tesla-like interiors: all you get is just a steering wheel, somefake leather seats, some vents, and a giant screen that covers half the dashboard. And they expect people to pay $100K for these econo-boxes.
Every month USA will be less and less competitive in the EV space. The world will not wait for us.
They yearn for the coal mines.
To be fair, people have been voting with their wallet as well. EVs aren't hitting the sales numbers the auto manufacturers wanted them to hit. Removing the subsidies doesn't help. Well it doesn't help US manufacturers, it does help China get ahead in the EV market and be better positioned for the future.
This is technically true, but misses the context of massive PR and smear campaigns against EVs on social media. People voted with their wallet after being bombarded with propaganda on EVs being somehow more dangerous, somehow worse for the environment, and that it's more fun apparently to go to a gas station every week.
Me, an EV owner who hasn't gone to a gas station in 2 years now, has had no maintenance, and happily charges at home
I love how everyone was freaking out about the effects of EVs on the grid but no one gives a fuck about AI's energy usage.
Turns out it was never them being worried about the power usage at all...
Lots of people give a fuck about AI's energy usage, but the data centers are paying off the people that could do something about it.
I get what you're saying but EVs are totally different than data centers in terms of electrical load distribution.
EV can help smooth out usage spikes with two way energy transfer.
If your on the larger Internet you'll find there are lots of people concerned about AI data centers to the point they're protesting. If we were to switch to EV enmass the grid would need upgrades and since its in largely private hands those upgrades would be slow and expensive.
The electric F150 lost 5 figures on everyone sold so its not surprising that Ford was looking for a reason to stop production.
Yeah, but the EV companies could have ran counter attacks if it was that easy.
If it provides any context at all, I want my next vehicle to be an EV. I've already had my electrician run large enough conduit to add L2 charging to my garage when I added electricity to my garage this year. My dream vehicle is actually the Rivian R1T.
Having a charger at home is honestly so freaking nice. I just don't think about gas or gas stations or anything. I will never go back to ICE vehicles after this one
I try to tell people this all the time. They always say they're worried about range and I slays remind them that it's plugged in when you're home so you always start the day with full range. Unlike an ICE where your range dwindles with every drive until you make a specific stop at a gas station. Also not having to worry about oil changes has to be amazing.
The problem for me is the absolutely criminal rates for DC fast charging, and the fact that almost every EV charger is trying to lock you in to an ecosystem. This is pretty easy to fix though.
What I learned driving my EV for a year is that people don't have range anxiety, they have charging anxiety. When you are on a trip in your EV, it is very difficult to find a charger without pulling over and futzing around in a few apps. Meanwhile, for gas cars, they've had 2+ stations at every exit for the last hour with prices on billboards that can be seen from miles away.
and most people don't want an ipad on wheels. I know most cars are just screens now, but I don't know of any EVs that has buttons, knobs, or actual window cranks. I don't want to go 3 screens deep just to turn on the AC.
Gonna take this opportunity to be a corporate shill and praise my Kia EV6. They really nailed the layout of the dash. It's a good blend of digital and physical. Hope more manufacturers learn from them.
Hyundai and Kia seemed to figure thar out pretty quick.
Similar for the cheaper EV3.
My only design gripe is that the climate control info is all directly behind the steering wheel, so I need to lean over to see it.
There was a company pitching this idea a while ago.
Yep... here it is
https://www.slate.auto/en/specs-lp?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23258495186&gbraid=0AAAAA_B-XWP2nh8CNMwHI6lxXxR4nP56x
Totally agree. It's funny now that it seems luxury has come back full circle to adding buttons again. I remember in the 90s the joke was that luxury cars had way too many buttons. Then people complained about the blanks covering where buttons would be if you bought a higher trim so they just got rid of buttons all together.
I don't have to go 3 screens deep to turn on my AC in my EV...
Popping the trunk, or turning on the windshield defogger is another story though. Hit the HVAC button on the bottom right of the center screen, then hit the defog option, then close the menu, and set your temp and fan speed from the main screen. Good thing you never need to mess with that while you are driving, it would be very distracting.
People want simple, repairable EVs for less than $80k. There is a reason they wont allow the cheap chinese EVs into america, they would destroy the american auto makers overnight.
The transition requires incentives, and if we don't do it someone else China? will.
Yeah, I mentioned that.
Wow their population is between 1900-2700. Obviously not every employee lives there, but it means less people going there / being there. That's going to have catastrophic local effects.