Ford/UAW deal to add 12,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs

Four-year pact will mean $6.2 billion in plant investments

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Ford Motor Company and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year labor contract covering approximately 41,000 UAW-represented employees in the United States.

The agreement – which is subject to ratification by UAW members – calls for 12,000 hourly jobs to be added in Ford’s U.S. manufacturing facilities through the term of the contract in 2015.

The new jobs commitment includes additional in-sourcing from Mexico, China and Japan, and is nearly double the company’s previous commitment to add jobs in the U.S.

The agreement includes $16 billion in U.S. investments – including $6.2 billion for Ford plants in the U.S. – all to design, engineer and produce more new and upgraded vehicles and components by 2015.

“We are pleased that, by working together with the UAW, we reached a deal that is fair to our employees and that improves Ford’s competitiveness in the U.S.,” said John Fleming, Ford’s executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs. “This agreement allows us to make even more progress on our One Ford plan and our focus on the great products, stronger business and better world that will deliver continued profitable growth for all.”

The UAW will share details of the agreement with its local leaders and members in the coming days as part of the ratification process. Ford will discuss more specifics once the agreement becomes final.

- Edited by Chris Vavra, Plant Engineering, www.plantengineering.com