Ford ’s plan to bring its labor costs in line with those at General Motors and Chrysler may be veering off course as two more United Auto Workers staffed plants have rejected the automaker’s contract for a new labor deal.
Union workers at Ford’s Sharonville and Batavia transmission plants in Ohio have voted down Ford’s proposed cost cutting concessions. Union members voted down the proposal by 75 percent, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
In all, seven UAW Locals have voted down Ford ’s proposed labor changes, including the company’s F-150 truck plant in Kansas City. Two more plants – Ford’s Kentucky and Dearborn truck plants – are expected to vote down the proposed labor contract in the coming days.
The news is grim for Ford as it will be at a distinct cost disadvantage to cross-town rival General Motors and Chrysler if it can’t get a new labor contract hammered out. Both GM and Chrysler were able to ink new UAW labor deals through their bankruptcy filings. Ford was the only of the Detroit Three to sidestep bankruptcy earlier this year, but could be heading down that path if a solution is not reached soon.
