"Ford At Greater Risk of Strike After Avoiding Bailout Money"

[ToMang07]

It may seem a cruel irony that the one U.S. automaker that took no bailout money is now at greater risk of a national strike as it continues labor negotiations with union leaders.
Based upon initial tallies last week, rank and file Ford United Auto Worker members were leaning overwhelmingly toward a national strike authorization against their employer. With the current national labor contracts set to expire September 14 at General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, local union representatives at Ford were reporting 97 percent of their membership was voting to authorize a strike, if necessary.

"I don't want to see any more concessions,” said Gary Farris, a Kentucky-based Ford plant employee since 1993. “I'd like to get a raise we haven't had a raise for a long time."
Farris says he has two kids in college and would like to see Ford again provide the same college assistance that it took away just as his kids were starting college.
Ford is the only one of the Big Three domestic automakers where, legally, workers can strike. Both GM and Chrysler and their union workers agreed in accepting the federal government's auto bailout in 2009 to resolve contract issues through binding arbitration.
But as ominous as the strike authorization sounds, some auto analysts believe it is merely a negotiating tool and that the prospect of a strike against Ford is unlikely.
"This is a pro forma kind of a thing. It's something the union has to do as part of its governing regulations, and they go to the membership and ask are we willing to strike," said Kristin Dziczek of the Center for Automotive Research. "In the contract it was one of the union’s weapons. They’ve got another arrow in the quiver."
Further, the mood among the UAW rank and file is not ripe for a strike, believes Dr. Arthur Schwartz of Labor and Economics Associates, who is also a former labor negotiator for GM.
"I think they're going to be able to get an agreement. I think there's room to reward the workers for the success of the company while still not adding to the fixed costs in the future of the company,” he said. “There's a settlement out there, and to not get it, I think, would really be a tragedy. I don't think Bob King and the UAW leadership is really thinking about that."
Dziczek says that the ravages of the recession have been a learning experience for the UAW, much as they have been for the entire American workforce.
"There's been a change in terms of understanding the fate of membership is really tied to health of those companies, so the leadership really understands that they are trying to create a more competitive company. When the company does well, their members will do well. And when the companies do not do so well members, will also not gain," he said.
In addition, the increased globalization of industry and auto manufacturing has focused the UAW's energy in other directions.
"UAW President Bob King has two things that he's trying to do," said Schwartz. "One is, he's trying to organize the foreign transplants and a strike at Ford would send absolutely the wrong message in that regard. And secondly, he's got the Obama re-election campaign. And Obama was very good to the auto industry in general in '09. And a strike would be a real thumb in the eye in that case. I really can't see a strike at Ford.”
Still, the strike threat that now looms against Ford pertains to only national issues. But there are many UAW local chapters that negotiate local contracts, and a strike at the local level can be as damaging as one at the national level. GM and Chrysler are still susceptible to local strikes.
"If you strike a key engine plant or a key stamping plant you can shut down assembly plants. The 1998 Flint strike at GM was a local strike that essentially shut down the entire company," said Schwartz.
While most of the attention is centered on the Ford negotiation, the UAW is simultaneously negotiating with GM and Chrysler. According to the Detroit News, bargaining with GM and Chrysler is well ahead of the Ford talks, as negotiators work through the weekends and Labor Day holiday.
The talks with the larger manufacturer, GM, will mostly likely dictate the majority of the terms of the Chrysler contract. Ford and UAW negotiators are also well into their talks, but the intensity of negotiations is not expected to peak until after the Labor Day holiday.

Read more: Ford At Greater Risk Of Strike After Avoiding Bailout Money | FoxNews.com

Ford At Greater Risk Of Strike After Avoiding Bailout Money | FoxNews.com

[Dave]

The union is just stupid enough to do it too.

[ToMang07]

Originally Posted by Dave

The union is just stupid enough to do it too.

I figured this would generate some interest... Being "Labor Day" and all.

[JasonY]

I'd fire everyone, plenty of people to gladly take their places.

Jason

[colo_dually]

I hope the Union strikes, hands down.

There is a clause that Ford couldn't take action against the Unions, when the bailout of signed until 2014 (IIRC). Even though Ford took no money. A strike would give Ford the grounds, not simply to break the Unions, but significantly lower their operating costs at the same time.

The Unions, and the handouts they demand are out of control. I'll be watching how Ford handles a strike. Remember their are plenty of workers out there, plenty of man-power willing to take a paycheck, without a Union rep over their shoulder.

[ToMang07]

Poll Added...

[PowerstrokeTech82787]

wait a minute... How is it that the people who assemble these things make more than those who fix them and they have any right to complain?

Further more those workers wont be replaced by other workers theyll be replaced by robotics.

In my opinion they have the easiest job aside from a salesman, if anything we should be allowed to go on strike but since we're limited to the dealership and not to the company itself, we'd only be screwing ourselves. Just wait and see how many dedicated "lifers" leave the dealership scene and be stuck with UTI and tech school grads who come out with a piece of paper stating they are certified to diagnose and repair these things with no real hands on experience. complain your down a truck for x weeks up to a month or 2, wait until that happens. If you had access to FMCdealer and saw how our labor rates are constantly being lowered and we are constantly losing money to work on these things, and how many of us post on the diesel to diesel tech forums, it wont be long until we smarten up and leave.

[colo_dually]

Originally Posted by PowerstrokeTech82787

wait a minute... How is it that the people who assemble these things make more than those who fix them and they have any right to complain?

Further more those workers wont be replaced by other workers theyll be replaced by robotics.

In my opinion they have the easiest job aside from a salesman, if anything we should be allowed to go on strike but since we're limited to the dealership and not to the company itself, we'd only be screwing ourselves. Just wait and see how many dedicated "lifers" leave the dealership scene and be stuck with UTI and tech school grads who come out with a piece of paper stating they are certified to diagnose and repair these things with no real hands on experience. complain your down a truck for x weeks up to a month or 2, wait until that happens. If you had access to FMCdealer and saw how our labor rates are constantly being lowered and we are constantly losing money to work on these things, and how many of us post on the diesel to diesel tech forums, it wont be long until we smarten up and leave.

Some of the strikers will be replaced with robotics in the long run, but not all of those who strike can possibly be replaced that quickly with new technology. The Unions must be broken, across this country, they have outlived thier usefullness, and are doing more harm now than good. The robotics will still require maintenance, and won't require a pension. Ford has a difficult time competing because of its labor contracts.

Any worker that does his job, and still feels he's worth more than his paycheck at the end of the week, what are you doing to get a better paycheck? If you answer is to lobby the Union for more money and benifits, you are walking down the wrong path.

Labor rates, and skilled technicians will be paid and trained and will over time reach a balance of where the free market thinks they should be. Without any inflation of the Unions, or the Government.

The Poll on this thread should be interesting to watch.

[PowerstrokeTech82787]

Originally Posted by colo_dually

Any worker that does his job, and still feels he's worth more than his paycheck at the end of the week, what are you doing to get a better paycheck? If you answer is to lobby the Union for more money and benifits, you are walking down the wrong path.

Labor rates, and skilled technicians will be paid and trained and will over time reach a balance of where the free market thinks they should be. Without any inflation of the Unions, or the Government.

The Poll on this thread should be interesting to watch.

going in earlier and staying later busting my @ss to get as many in and out as humanly possible. thats what im doing to get a better pay check, leave all the bs work i hate doing for the other guys and take on engines and "hard" jobs. Sure lube techs can hit 60+ hrs doing brakes suspension and steering work, oil changes tranny flushes and all that crap i hate it. I hit 60-70 doing mostly warranty engine work i dont complain until they took a whole 2 hrs off of the 6.4 cab pulling time, what used to pay 6.1 now pays 4.3 unless the truck has never seen rustbelt conditions and has been in a heated garage in the winter, there is no way thats possible. no convincing me.

fastest i ever got a cab off of a dump truck was 4 and a half hours. thats 4.5 just for removal. now its 4.3 to remove and re-install

And we technicians just have to grin and bare it take it dry and say thanks at the end of the day. and customers are the greatest to deal with. they go bonkers if they are down a truck more than a week. I always offer my tools when they come in crying about a nuked 6.4 if they can do better and faster or know someone who can-take my box and all my tools obviously im not doing something right and shouldnt be here right? that usually shuts them up.

We wont ever be making the money that we deserve especially with customer satisfaction where a nice cash pay 6.4 radiator which turns into a 1200 dollar+ bill to the customer depending on labor rate of the dealership, takes a few phone calls and now it became warranty, lucky to break even on. theres more way more to it than just taking a fuel sample doing a fuel mist test and actual wrenching. Thats the fun less time consuming part, battling with warranty administrators, field service engineers, prior approval bs, and hot line is the part that nobody sees. thats the time consuming part. the part where we dont get paid so a 20hr engine job for example, if you think about it, you are lucky if you break even between all the BS and redtape. in my opinion FoMoCo should go through some very core shaking changes. Only way to gain customers and customer satisfaction is to get them in and out as fast as possible, how do you do that? Get rid of prior approval BS, and keep the techs happy. take care of whos doing the dirty work. last 2 dealerships i watched the service writer/manager get all the praise, and tips too. meanwhile the ones who stayed late to ensure that truck would be done by friday when it rolled in the door wednesday, didnt get squat. Most importantly the training they give us if you think about it is a joke. pretty much they train us how the systems work together and test us on it. 6.0 was the easiest training course i ever took. My performance exam led me to find low fuel pressure in 10 minutes i had the truck diagnosed. 6.4 was a little more hands on. didnt show us how to remove the cab or give us any time saving tips, that we all had to figure out on our own. Our real training is on the job. Not in a classroom. Send us out and have us collect a paycheck from FoMoCo and have us go for up to a month straight to have us R+R components and know the procedure like the back of our hands thats training.

[7.3Lariat]

Ford has been able to make much better products and are well in the black. No reason workers shouldn't see some of that since they have a part in that. That is the way the "American Way" used to work. Companies are profitable and workers and owners share in the profits not just owners and the top brass. That stopped long ago which is why we are in the mess we are in. When middle class wages don't rise along with productivity and profits the country stagnates.