Veritas

You really don't think that Ford turns a profit the IUAW won't be pushing for some give backs? It will come back when the Company can give back. The freezes in COLA, bonuses, etc. are through 2011. THAT will be a good year. Until then, I'd rather take these changes. The alternative can be a lot worse.

YEs - you can grow in to retirement eligibility through 2/28/2010. On p5

You'll have the same amount of down time whether it is done this way or whether the company takes full down weeks & blacks out the plant. It's one or the other

This is the same thing Salaried have had to do for a year or two now & is happening at almost every other company in the US. It is only through your insurance provider & is an incentive to lead a healthier lifestyle. The penalty is $25/mo if you do not want to comply. This is also very low for what others get charged. This is between you, your personal doc & your insurance company. It is covered by federal HIPAA privacy laws. There is no linkage to plant physician or company & you won't be disciplined or fired based on the results. It's a good way to reign in some unhealthy lifestyles & try to curb the crazy healthcare costs. With all that said, I still love my McDonalds french fries!!! :shades:

Everyone going to DTP either was still onILO from the last time they had C Crew, or signed the postings. 800 people being brought in. There were some people forced to backfill people that signed postings & then also signed to go to Saline. DTP didn't get any of these people (about 50), so lowest in JSP were forced. Some came from Rawsonville, some from Livonia & a few from WAP (16). DTP also had some people sign for Saline & those will be transferring after C Crew launches. At that time, there might be a need for a posting of about another 100 or so.

Local agreements always get sent "up" to National Ford & Labor Affairs. Most plant's local agreements were sent "up" but haven't come back yet as fully signed off on, so they haven't been printed or distributed yet.

There are a couple down weeks at both KC & DTP that are being planned. Still enough to justify 5 shifts. I'd rather have 3 crews with some down weeks than try to get all the production out on 4 shifts. Will C Crew make it to the end of 2009? Only if we keep building great quality & people keep buying these trucks! Keep watching those sales numbers & I hope Obama can get the economy rolling so the industry can bounce back a little bit.

People that have worked at DTP before are being directed to report to the Green Mile for on the job & double up training. Anyone transferring from other plants are going to the Tech Transport Bldg in groups of about 275 each on days & nights for a 2 day orientation before heading to the plant on Weds. Everyone should have their letters about when & where by now.

DTP Labor Relations said they are sending out letters today or tomorrow for everyone coming in. Start date is 2/2. Letters are going out to all the transfers from the postings also, and they just got the results of that last Friday which is why nothing has gone out yet.

The company doesn't get vacation pay when IT is shut down. It is an analogy. My point is that you (in the analogy, you = Ford) would have no income of any kind for 2 weeks. It puts a strain on your cash flow.

It is less about saving money and more about cash flow. Since we don't build vehicles for 2 weeks, we also don't sell vehicles for 2 weeks. Which means no revenue. But at the same time, we still have a lot of expenses. Right, Ford doesn't need the bailout money, and is in better shape than GM, but the amount of cash available is still really tight. Tighter than in a long time. It's not too hard to think of it like your personal bank account. You've burned through all your savings. You already have maxed out all your credit cards. You have all your normal expenses -- your mortgage, car payment, credit card payments, insurance, taxes, phone, medical bills, etc. Would you rather take 2 weeks straight without ANY pay (even unemployment or SUB), or would you rather take 1 week without pay now, have a month to recover, and then take another week without pay. Same concept.

Haha! Gotta love level. Great post.

The Company's own press release says "Ford will restore the third crew at Dearborn Truck Plant in January; the move will add 1,000 workers to the plant's production team".

You could get it if you retire, ERPI, FEDOPP (if also retirement elig.), FSP, ESTEP, SER, SER Plus, EDOPP (if also retirement elig.), or ESTEP (and have all the other eligibility stuff mentioned in the other posts -- like being onroll on Nov 17 for the XMas bonus, and having the 32 weeks, etc.). You don't if you take STEP, EDOPP (non-retirement) or FEDOPP (non-retirement). We also have a flyer here that says "DID YOU KNOW... Due to payroll processing and administrative requirements, employees who retire or otherwise terminate employment effective December 1, 2008 on a Special Program or Special Incentive that provides a lump-sum payment will not receive their payment until early 2009. As a result, the payment for employees who retire or terminate effective December 1, 2008 will be treated as 2009 (rather than 2008) income for tax purposes."