According to a Ford spokeswoman Saturday, holding a strike authorisation vote, the workers of Ford Motor Co. and United Auto have succeeded in resolving their disputes over Missouri plant work issues.

Marcey Evans, the Ford spokeswoman says, concerns raised by local members were resolved and closed after a team of senior Ford executives, national UAW leaders and UAW Local 249 leaders reached an agreement late Friday.

About 3,500-workers at Ford's Kansas City assembly plant where F-150 pick-up trucks, Ford Escape SUVs and Mercury Mariner SUVs are built, began voting Thursday whether a strike should be authorised as a result of working conditions, workload and job security.

Voting is scheduled to conclude Saturday night, and while workers could authorise leaders to strike, and even though no union official was available for comment, no immediate walkout is expected.

The local vote comes barely two weeks after the rejection of a proposed deal by Ford's 41,000-factory workers, aligning labour costs with those of its rival firms General Motors Co and Chrysler Group LLC.

Kansas City plant workers voted 92% against the agreement 75% of skilled trade workers and 70% production workers rejected nationally.