DSenstad

Perhaps it will pass with 51% of the vote but no numbers will be presented.... Nah, they would never do that.

At TCAP the maintenance voted it down by 92%, not that their are enough of them to matter much. Are there any provisions in the contract that assures products in North America?

High cost of healthcare. I don't think they have to pay enormous sums healthcare for the employees and the retirees in Mexico, if only someone could do something about it in the US.

I would like to think that however when looking at how the US students stack up, and the US medical care stacks up, a person would be foolish to assume that we are just simply better. I tend to think we have been better and can be better again but we have work to do.

I have read these forums for a while too and I have two things to say to you; 1. Put that white hankie back in your pocket and quit waving it like a flag. 2. Learn how to use the shift key and come back when you know how to post.

I hope Mulally had to fill up the car with gas as well. It is getting a little cold here in Minnesota with a frigid wind tonight and it sucks when I went to fill up my wife's car only to be standing there looking at a solid sheet of metal.

My family has 4 different Fords and every time I get into one I have to figure out how to operate the controls on the darn thing. On/off for head lights, wipers, whatever. Why can't they be close enough so I can operate them all without having to hunt?

The Ranger plant had been at 40 hours weeks and are now running at 50 hours. If they were running 50 weeks last year they would have had more sales wouldn't have they? Management at the Ranger plant recently told the union that they wanted 10 Saturdays this year... I don't remember them asking for more than a couple last year. Numbers don't always tell the whole story believe it or not. Wasn't Nasser big on numbers?

A worth while note, the Ranger is making over $5,000 a unit in profit right now. I think it could withstand a little R&D concerning engines and drive trains. Changes have already been made to address some of the crash standards and I think their is enough in the coffer to make the necessary changes to maintain market share. As has been mentioned, market share isn't a given... if you have it, keep it. If it costs money to hold it, it might still be cheaper than losing it.

In Minnesota you need to be a licensed electrician or get your license after you finish your apprenticeship and it is a real bear to pass. Many of our electrics have their Masters as well. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Stationary Steam engineers also need to be licensed.

This looks better as a truck than whatever it is suppose to be.

If you read the article you will find a lick to a raincoat made of the stuff. From there you can find a cloak video made of the similiar material. I think bank robbers just found a new nylon stocking. Just imagine when the cops ask "What were they wearing"? "Well.... I don't really know" :shrug:

You are not seriously hitching your wagon to an idiot that doesn't know that Social Security was hijacked many years ago when they stuck it with the responsibility of paying for Medicare are you? I guess you can take the hick out of West Virginia but you can't take the West Virginia out of the hick.

Are doctors going to charge 19.99 for a visit now? Anyone who has medicine is required to see the doctor usually on a yearly basis in order to keep getting their medicine. That reminds me, I have zero refills left, time to make an appointment.

Be very careful when quoting something like that. What they are saying is they have the opportunity to make money. That opportunity is lost when the plants are idle; therefore they are losing that money. Think of it this way. When they have to high of numbers sitting on the lots they lay people off. They have to pay unemployment insurance while these people are off. Are they losing $100,000,000 while they have people on lay off? No. You are being manipulated.

I have driven all three and each step was noticable. I really would have prefered to not be able to notice any difference between any of the vehicles but I did... everytime I went and drove them.

Perhaps you can explain this to me. As I read this, your saying that Ford should build more plants in Mexico or elsewhere in the world and put it's North American workforce on lay off/GEN so they don't have to pay them anything... is this right? I read somewhere that Ford has roughly the same production capsity today as they had 40 years ago. The difference is it isn't all here in the states. I think maybe there needs to be some sort of dis-incentive for them to move jobs out, not an incentive.

Say ah Richard, when did we hourly get matching funds into our tesphe? I know several people in the management ranks that will be doing far better than we will due to the fact that they had that option for years and being that a foreman made 25% more than their highest paid employee's they would have had extra income to take advantage of such a program. Anyone higher than a foreman would make more. You might like to slam the hourly man here but you should really look at the history of the salary personal before making bold statements. If the salary personal isn't doing better than the hourly man, shame on them unless they are a very short term employee. I further agree with Pioneer on the fact that as much as Ford preaches empowering the little man it doesn't make it to the floor. I don't think we people on the floor have ever said that we should throw the money to the shareholders and screw the equipment, even us shareholders understand the importance of reinvesting. Nasser put us in a hole that we are just starting to see daylight out of, he hurt us in so many ways that we are just numb. I do like the moves Ford has made in the last couple of years... well for the most part, but it will take the company a long time to recoup all the losses if ever. tommy8768, The only ones that might make in the 30 range are skilled trades and the guys on the outside make more than we do. It use to be that we were the higher end of the skill trades market but we don't even land in the top 50% anymore. I do agree with what you said, how much is enough. How much do the people in Detroit who have led us in this downward spiral really deserve?

After 20 years watching local elections I can see this one is the one where the candidate or spouse is involved, it is a wonderful piece of spin doctoring. Not being involved in this race it is simply interesting reading. I will say that people can be present at the polling for a candidate. If people are really concerned have someone present with a clicker and they can count every time someone drops a ballot into the ballot box. If the bow is stuffed the count will be way off, if it isn't then you can assume the count is fair. Also by having people watching, I would suggest one inside the voting place to verify how many votes their are, one outside to verify no arm twisting immediately prior to entering the polling place, and one at the work exit again to verify no strong arming. After which both parties should be comfortable that the vote is accurate whether you like the results or not.

I really think that is one concept that should be brought straight to production without any alterations. In my opinion it is a homerun, why try to make a double out of it? Sorry... I forgot it is Ford that we are talking about.

I think the cost is around 3,000 which is high just for a strike vote but... there is such thing as integrity which is protected in theo voting booths. It is a hassle but I will gladly bear the hassel for the integrity we have at 879.

Not every plant does that.

Are you talking about unions or the UAW? It seems to me that unions are suppose to represent the people. In fact I believe that the UAW constitution states that the people are the highest authority. Now, on this very board several locals responded on the vote to give up our raise and cola and charge the retiree's and only one out of all the locals that responded had voted for that thing to pas yet the international said it did and refused to supply any numbers. If we are the highest authrity and we wanted to know what the vote total was, why couldn't we? I support unions the way they were initially set up, to represent the worker but somewhere along the way someone got it in their heads that these companies need us to help run them and that they actually listen to us... Whe the UAW acts like a union I will support them 100%.

Why not just call it a T-Bird? After the 500-Taurus debacle you might not see a new badge instead of a known moniker.

Would you like to buy a dealership in Minnesota? We have dealers here who have parked the sold cars before a rain, then afterwards when the car sat in a puddle they have refused to move it citing the fact that the person bought it on A-plan so they don't get the perks.... I didn't realize getting into a car with dry feet was a perk but apparently in my neck of the woods it is. I am tickled pink that you realize you are the face of Ford and I hope that Ford is finally starting to uphold their end of the bargain in your eyes. It very well be a local issue but I have heard of bad things like this on the East coast as well. I have seen far better at the Toyota dealerships and it seems like you have taken the battle to them, for that I thank you. I think dealers like you will do much to save Ford, now, about that dealership here in Minnesota......