Ford Says It Can’t Go Any Higher on Its Economic Offer to UAW

Ford Motor Co. says its offer of a 23% raise to the United Auto Workers is the best that it can do and that going any higher would hurt the company.

The UAW escalated its nearly month-old strike by walking out of Ford’s largest plant late Wednesday when the automaker failed to sweeten its economic proposal. Ford contends there is nothing left to give.

“We have been very clear that we are at the limit,” Kumar Galhotra, head of Ford’s internal combustion business, said in a briefing with reporters Thursday. “We stretched to get to this point. Going further ...