Do y’all think Ford will get coal for Christmas for cutting every single employee at a battery plant in the middle of the holidays? Roughly 1,6000 people were laid off via video call as the automaker turns away from electric vehicles. 

Ford lays off 1,600 workers at Kentucky battery plant 

As we say goodbye to the Ford F-150 Lightning, many workers are being forced to say farewell to their jobs right before Christmas. About 1,600 employees are being laid off from the brand new battery plant in Glendale, Kentucky. 

A video statement was sent to employees that shared the “end of all BlueOval SK Positions in Kentucky”. However, employees will continue to receive paychecks and benefits for the next 60 days. 

According to WDRB, this move was made as Ford transitions away from the EV business. This move includes taking a $19.5 billion hit. It’s now switching its focus to building hybrid vans, trucks, and SUVs. 

The automaker has lost $13 billion on electric vehicles since 2013 and needs to build profitable vehicles. There’s simply a lack of demand as Trump rolls back strict emission rules. 

However, the Glendale factory is being converted into a battery storage business for customers such as utilities, wind, and solar power developers. It will be used as a massive data center to train artificial intelligence. 

The automaker plans to hire 2,100 employees for the new Glendale plant. But the laid-off employees will have the opportunity to apply for those new positions. 

Additionally, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear shared that Team Kentucky is coordinating with the company and community employees to directly support the laid-off employees. It’s planning job fairs and creating a website to offer resources.