Ford Motor Co. asked 67 more employees at the Sterling Axle Plant in Sterling Heights not to report to work beginning Monday, the automaker announced late Sunday.

These layoffs are a consequence of the strike, because Sterling Axle must reduce production of parts that would normally be shipped to Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford said. Nearly 9,000 workers at Kentucky Truck, which builds the F-Series Super Duty pickup truck, the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, have been striking since Oct. 11.

This brings the layoff total to 485 at Sterling Axle, Ford said.

"Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW’s targeted strike strategy has knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage," Ford spokesman Dan Barbossa said in a statement.

The UAW strike against the Detroit Three automakers is now in its sixth week as talks continue.

On Sunday, Ford confirmed it had about 16,600 workers striking at three factories in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky, plus 3,167 strike-related layoffs at 10 sites in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.

The targeted strikes against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which owns Jeep, Ram Trucks, Chrysler and Dodge, began Sept. 15. GM and Stellantis and auto suppliers continue making strike-related layoffs.

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on the site formerly known as Twitter @phoebesaid.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW strike-related layoffs hit 67 more Ford workers at Sterling Axle