Ford workers are hard at work every day, manufacturing cars and providing services to millions of people.

Unfortunately, they are receiving nothing in return.

In August, Ford Motor Company workers across the nation gave the go-ahead for a strike if there are no negotiations for raises, higher entry-level wages, overtime and breaks.

Those are just some of the key issues involved in the new contract.
There has been no specific information released on the old or the new contract.

According to WLKY in Louisville, nearly 98 percent of workers voted to authorize the strike for officials if the negotiations fail in Detroit — where the Ford headquarters is located.

The old contract will expire Sept. 14.

Poor decisions

One of the decisions that didn’t make sense to me was the fact that Ford just spent about $600 million to renovate the Louisville Assembly Plant in order to enhance the facility to build new Ford Escapes and other models.

Only the big shots in Detroit could explain that logic.

Basically, those multi-millionaires see nothing but dollar signs.

Forget those hard workers breaking their backs off in those factories just so they can take care of their families.

Ford executives should have figured into their budget how much these renovations would cost and how that would affect the salaries and contracts of the employees of the various plants.

Instead, they decided to cut overtime, decrease raises to a level of nonexistence and eliminate breaks.

That sounds like a pretty crappy situation on the company’s part.
The massive hire of 600 new employees at $15 per hour, doesn’t make much sense to me either.

In my opinion, if they can’t pay the associates that they already have working for them, they do not need to be hiring new employees.

Without overtime available, those new employees will be making $30,000 per year compared to the $55,000 that the current workers make.

As far as the current associates are concerned, they have been asked to give up pay raises as a part of the many concessions meant to help prevent Ford’s bankruptcy.

Effects on the workers

One of my relatives works for the Ford Motor Company in the Louisville truck plant and has been in many different departments there for at least 10 years.

His family, including his wife and child, is supported by his fantastic income and the benefits the company has offered throughout the years.

They have one income to support three people including a mortgage, vehicle payments, insurances and an education for their daughter.
If Ford allows this strike to take place, it will be extremely difficult for my family, along with many others, to survive.

By not negotiating the contracts so they can make more money, Ford executives are putting thousands of lives in jeopardy, even if it is only for a short amount of time.

The strikes are not going to be permanent, although they can last for quite a while.

My family, along with many other families across the country, would be greatly affected by this strike.

Compromises

The Ford Motor Company needs to negotiate the contracts and come to some sort of compromise, such as limiting the number of new hires and cutting back on the expansions.

Decreasing renovations and new hires alone would help with the company’s debt issue.

Instead of spending $600 million on renovations and hiring 600 new employees, why not cut those numbers in half? They should give the hours and the raises to the people who have already trained and earned it, not offer them to someone else.

Here is my personal message to Ford Motor Company: Take care of your employees because if you don’t, nobody will.

By JOLIE STONE

Sports Editor

stonejl@umail.iu.edu