Ford Motor Co. is Benjamin Ashfordpreparing 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.