Ford to offer union buyouts at two U.S. plants

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) will offer buyouts to United Auto Workers union-represented hourly employees at plants in Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky, to try to trim its ranks, the company said on Friday.

Ford, which has been cutting production capacity to match declining market share in North America, said in late April that about 4,200 UAW workers had accepted recent buyouts it offered to all of its UAW-represented employees.

The carmaker did not say how many workers it had hoped would take the buyouts, but did say it would offer more buyouts targeted by plant or vehicles from that point. Analysts have said Ford was looking to buy out about 8,000 workers.

Ford has nearly 2,200 hourly workers at its Chicago plant that builds the Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans and another 2,100 workers at the Louisville plant where it builds the Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080502/bs_nm/ford_buyouts_dc

[LaPera]

1. Another way to break UNIONS! Forever, not by building better more efficent cars.

But catering to the oil monopoly!

[jmowreader]

2. I see the problem in Chicago

Chicago builds the Taurus and the Sable, which used to be called the Ford Five Hundred.

The Five Hundred replaced the Taurus. Taurus was one of the most liked Fords ever--it was a really good car. Very few people liked the Five Hundred. Hey, I know! Let's bring back the Taurus by rebadging the Five Hundred!

Well...kids...people didn't not buy the Five Hundred because they didn't like the name; they didn't buy it because they didn't like the car. Changing the name isn't going to make people buy any more of them.

[ohio2007]

3. People don't buy american made cars anymore because of the cost and quality

in foreign made. US auto industry is a victim of the global economy