UAW, Ford, Chrysler Group Reach Tentative Agreement On National Labor Contract
Ford Motor Company and the United Auto Workers union (UAW) 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.
The UAW will share details of the agreement with its local leaders and members soon as part of the ratification process. Ford will discuss more specifics once the agreement becomes final.
Meanwhile on October 12, Chrysler Group LLC and the UAW announced they have reached a tentative agreement on a new national labor contract, covering approximately 26,000 represented employees. The agreement is subject to UAW member ratification. At the time of the announcement, the specifics of the agreement could not be announced, pending a ratification vote - an internal UAW process.