Ford given five-day strike notice at key F-150 plant by U.S. union

DETROIT (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday threatened a strike in five days at a key plant making the company's most important model, the F-150 pickup truck, due to disagreements on a new "local" labor contract, the UAW's Ford chief said.

UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles said a strike authorization had been approved by UAW President Dennis Williams.

Ford is currently in talks for a new four-year national contract affecting Ford's 52,700 U.S. unionized workers as well as for a new pact for the 7,500 workers at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri.

Settles said this is about problems with the local agreement.

Ford "has failed to negotiate in good faith at the local level," Settles said in a notice to Ford workers that the union then sent to the media on Tuesday evening.

A Ford spokeswoman said the company is "confident we will be able to negotiate a fair and competitive labor agreement with our UAW partners."

(Corrects typo in "our" in final paragraph)

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Ken Wills)