Ford Considers White Collar Layoffs
Members of the UAW National Ford Council met in a ballroom at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center downtown. Union spokesman Roger Kerson said members were instructed not to speak with reporters about the meeting.
Kerson read a statement from Vice President Bob King saying that the focus of the meeting was on producing a better product at a better price. They also discussed working to keep good manufacturing jobs in the United States, Kerson said.
He would not comment on whether buyouts or early retirement offers were discussed.
Several UAW members said before the meeting that they would talk about the expanded retirement and buyout offers, which so far have been made mainly to workers at plants that Ford has slated for closure.
One union leader said in a memo posted on his local's Web site that a decision would be made on the offers this week.
Ford has not commented on the buyouts other than to say that everything is on the table as it goes through another round of restructuring.
UAW members at half of Ford's U.S. plants have agreed to terms on "competitive operating agreements" that enable the automaker to cut costs, Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari told The Detroit News for a Wednesday story.
"We're especially pleased with the progress that our plants are making," Gattari said. "This tells us that our employees understand the need to compete with the most efficient plants in North America."
Such agreements have included work rule and other changes that to make a plant more efficient, the company has said.
Ford's rival General Motors Corp. made buyout and early retirement offers to its production workers earlier this year. About 35,000 accepted, helping the automaker to trim its costs.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kerson read a statement from Vice President Bob King saying that the focus of the meeting was on producing a better product at a better price. They also discussed working to keep good manufacturing jobs in the United States, Kerson said.
He would not comment on whether buyouts or early retirement offers were discussed.
Several UAW members said before the meeting that they would talk about the expanded retirement and buyout offers, which so far have been made mainly to workers at plants that Ford has slated for closure.
One union leader said in a memo posted on his local's Web site that a decision would be made on the offers this week.
Ford has not commented on the buyouts other than to say that everything is on the table as it goes through another round of restructuring.
UAW members at half of Ford's U.S. plants have agreed to terms on "competitive operating agreements" that enable the automaker to cut costs, Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari told The Detroit News for a Wednesday story.
"We're especially pleased with the progress that our plants are making," Gattari said. "This tells us that our employees understand the need to compete with the most efficient plants in North America."
Such agreements have included work rule and other changes that to make a plant more efficient, the company has said.
Ford's rival General Motors Corp. made buyout and early retirement offers to its production workers earlier this year. About 35,000 accepted, helping the automaker to trim its costs.
- prev
- no next page
2/2
Popular on MoneyWatch
- Seeking solutions to the student aid mess
- Reverse cell phone lookup service is free and simple
- Kellogg re-inventing Special K brand
- Amy's Baking Company: Post-meltdown PR campaign
- How to stop the mediocrity pandemic
- LinkedIn: 3 tips for building a better profile
- Yahoo buys blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion
- Top 10 professional life coaching myths
1. Why in a hundred+ years can we not get away from the internal combustion engine? Is it because companies like Ford don't want to? hmmm..
2. Why do we put AIR in our tires? I think the answer is the same as the first question.
3. Where are our scientists? Why in the most modern country in the world we can't come up with something better is profound to me, and don't bring the fuel cell in to this either because that's 1800's technology too. Someone "needs" YOU and ME to be high on money and low on cash.
The days are long but the weeks are fast. Don't let another 10th of your life past by with out you asking yourself what you can do to better our world. VOTE smart. Get CENTERED!