Workers Independent News - Ford

UAW National Ford Council Unanimously Approves Tentative Contract - 11/06/07

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:58:28 -0800

By Doug Cunningham

The UAW’s Ford National Council is unanimously endorsing the tentative contract with Ford. The council consists of local union leader delegates from more than 55 Ford facilities across the nation. The UAW says the unanimous recommendation to approve came after a meeting Monday that included a detailed question and answer session. UAW President, Ron Gettelfinger says he’s very pleased with the strong support of local UAW leaders for the new contract at Ford. UAW Ford workers will finish voting on whether or not to approve the contract November 12th.

Auto Workers In For More Concessions Pressure - 01/11/07

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:28:04 -0800

By Doug Cunningham

As autoworkers, already hit hard by plant closings, prepare for new contract negotiations with the U.S. automakers it’s clear that GM and Ford will be looking for more concessions and givebacks. Neither the auto executives nor the UAW leadership is talking publicly about exactly what the concessions are likely to be. One likely target of the auto companies are retiree health benefits, even though the UAW already agreed in 2006 to cut retiree health benefits.

UAW Has No Immediate Comment On 38,000 Workers Leaving Ford - 11/30/06

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:10:52 -0800

By Doug Cunningham

The UAW had no immediate comment on Ford’s announcement Wednesday that a total of 38,000 UAW workers had accepted buyout or early retirement offers this year. The workers will begin leaving Ford in January and all will be gone by September of 2007. Earlier this year at GM and Delphi 47,600 UAW workers also accepted buyout deals to leave their jobs. This is an historic realignment of the U.S. auto industry, brought on largely by a of loss of market share to imports. The UAW is taking a huge hit, losing more than 85,000 members. The union is being devastated by the loss of members combined with the failure to organize the domestic plants of foreign automakers.

Thirty-Eight Thousand Ford UAW Members Take Buyouts To Leave - 11/29/06

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:35:08 -0800

By Doug Cunningham

Ford Motor Company says 38,000 Ford UAW members have agreed to take the buyouts or early retirements offered by Ford to dramatically cut its workforce. That’s nearly half of Ford’s unionized workers. Ford is also trying to entice thousands of salaried employees to leave the company as it slashes North American jobs. Ford had offered the buyouts to eliminate 30,000 union jobs as it closes some North American plants. Earlier this year GM offered similar buyouts to roughly 34,000 UAW workers there. This is a major historic realignment of the U.S. auto industry, which has suffered declining market share for years in North America. The falling market share and the failure to organize foreign auto plants building cars in North America has hit the United Autoworkers union hard. Combined with the bankruptcy of Delphi, the onetime GM subsidiary, the UAW this year has lost more than 85,000 active members.

Workers Ponder A Future Without Ford As Automaker Loses $5.8 Billion - 10/24/06

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:47:39 -0700

By Doug Cunningham

Workers at Ford Motor Company are facing the hard choice of deciding whether or not to accept a buyout package offered by Ford. As they ponder the severance offers, Ford is reporting a third-quarter operating loss of $5.8 billion. Two billion of that represents North American automotive losses. Some $4.6 billion are one-time costs of offering the buyouts and a re-evaluation of financial assets. Ford workers are facing a round of plant closings and must decide by November 27th whether or not to accept buyout offers to leave their jobs. Ford plans to slash 44,000 jobs as it closes several North American factories. It’s part of a sea change in the U.S. auto industry as solid union automotive jobs disappear by the tens of thousands.

UAW Agrees With Ford On Buyout Offers To 75,000 Workers - 09/15/06

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:03:36 -0700

By Doug Cunningham

The UAW has agreed with Ford Motor Company on a buyout offer to 75,000 UAW Ford workers. Ford has lost market share and is closing factories. These buyouts offer a variety of retirement incentives for workers to leave Ford. UAW President Ron Gettlefinger says UAW members are once again stepping up to make hard choices under difficult circumstances. UAW Vice-President Bob King says the UAW is trying to make sure reductions in the Ford workforce are voluntary.

UAW: Ford Closings More Devastation Due to Lack of Industrial Policy - 06/14/06

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:20:27 -0700

By Doug Cunningham

Ford said Thursday it’s closing plants in St. Paul Minnesota and Norfolk, Virginia. The United Auto Workers union says the closings are a continuation of the devastating restructuring plan Ford announced in January. The UAW says workers are paying the price for Ford’s loss of market share and the nation’s failure to enact rational, job-creating policies for U.S. industry. The UAW is paying a steep price, too. According to filings with the U.S. Labor Department the UAW lost 10.5 percent of its members in 2005 – down to a total of 557,000 active members in the U.S.

Hundreds of Ford workers may face layoffs in Minnesota - 03/08/06

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:36:12 -0800

By Jesse Russell

Ford autoworkers in St. Paul, Minnesota could be looking at layoffs as sales of the Ford Ranger slide. The St. Paul plant dodged a bullet in January when they weren't on the list of planned closings. However, a recent United Auto Workers newsletter article suggests a possible 150 to 400 of the more than 1700 employees could be let go as soon as July. Jim Eagle, chairman of the Twin Cities local says in the article that a work slowdown would be preferred over losing a shift at the plant.

Click to listen : Headline newscast February 22, 2006

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:12:47 -0800

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UAW official : Ford Plant Closings Tied to Health & Trade Policies - 01/24/06

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:36:17 -0800

By Doug Cunningham

Ford is slashing up to 30,000 jobs and closing 14 plants by 2012, another body blow to autoworkers. In Minnesota a plant in St. Paul that had been threatened appears to have been spared. UAW Local 879 President Rob McKenzie says this economic devastation is directly linked to U.S. trade and economic policies.

[Rob McKenzie] : "Unfortunately this is another day in the continuing story of the destruction of the American middle class. Our view is that if we don’t do something about health care costs and trade policy, we’re going to see many more days like this."

Benjamin Gross is a worker at the St. Paul plant.

WIN End of Year Report: Autoworkers under siege and fighting back - 12/30/05

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 18:02:18 -0800

By Doug Cunningham

As 2006 dawns North American auto workers are under siege with plant closings and massive layoffs planned at both GM and Ford. The Delphi auto parts giant bankruptcy threatens jobs, wages and pensions. The implications are enormous. One in seven jobs in the U.S. are auto-related. Harsh demands to destroy auto industry wage and benefit standards - if successful - would devastate working families for generations to come. City University of New York Professor Stanley Aronowitz believes if the UAW and allied unions have the will they have the capacity to fight back and win.

Ford and UAW close to agreement on health care - 12/12/05

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:41:30 -0800

By Jesse Russell

The United Auto Workers have announced a tentative agreement on health care with Ford Motor Company. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said he believes the agreement reaches the goal of providing the best possible longterm protections for active and retired workers. Details of the agreement are being withheld, but UAW leadership says in a press release that members have been asked to make some sacrifices so that everyone can receive excellent coverage.

Wall Street Journal: Ford may close five North American plants - 12/05/05

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 15:32:15 -0800

By Jesse Russell

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Ford Motor Company

may close five North American plants as part of a restructuring

plan to be announced next month. The paper says the company

is considering closing plants in St. Louis, Atlanta and St. Paul, as

well as one in Canada and one in Mexico. If the plan goes

forward as is, it could result in the loss of nearly 7,500 jobs,

roughly six percent of the company's North American work

force. Ford reported a third quarter loss of $284 million dollars.

Ford's Visteon takeover cuts 5,000 jobs, lowers wages

Thu, 26 May 2005 13:15:45 -0700

Five thousand jobs will be cut by Ford Motor Company in its takeover of Visteon - its former parts division. The move will drive average North American wage costs at Visteon down from $38 an hour to $17. About 17,000 Ford employees have been working at Visteon's 24 plants. They're earning UAW assembly wages rather than the lower supplier wages. New hires won't be Ford employees. Under Ford's buyout of Visteon the remaining workers will still be paid assembly wages. Ford spun off Visteon in 2000. UAW members still have to ratify the Ford-Visteon deal. Ford will have to lay out an estimated $1.15 billion in special charges over the next five years plus as much as $425 million to cover operating losses this year and next. As part of the deal Ford also picks up a $2 billion health care and insurance liability from Visteon for Ford employees and retirees. Visteon and Ford were never completely separated and that's one factor in the Standard and Poor's decision to lower Ford's bond rating.

Auto workers protest outsourcing to Mexico

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 08:44:44 -0800

More than 600 auto workers protested the outsourcing of their jobs to Mexico outside of Ford Motor Company's corporate headquarters on Friday. United Auto Workers local 36 organized the protest in part because the company is increasing the new car lines being built in Mexico. The union also believes the company may be planning to shut down it's assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan. Since 2002 the plant has lost 55 percent of it's hourly workforce and production of the Thunderbird will be phased out next year.